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Michigan, State Senate, District 5

Michigan State Senate District 5
Current incumbentBetty Jean Alexander Democratic Party
Population206,799
Gender53.0% Female, 47.0% Male
Race62.7% Black, 32.8% White, 2.5% Two or More Races, 0.9% Other, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% Native American
Ethnicity97.1% Non-Hispanic, 2.9% Hispanic

Michigan's fifth state senate district is held by Democratic Senator Betty Jean Alexander.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 206,799 civilians reside within Michigan's fifth state senate district. Michigan state senators represent an average of 260,096 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 261,538 residents.

About the office

Members of the Michigan State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits. Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor's term of office. Senate elections are offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, senate elections were in 2002 and 2006). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$71,685/year$10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission.

Term limits

The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years. Senators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.

Vacancies

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the senate, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.

Elections

2018

General election
General election for Michigan State Senate District 5

Betty Jean Alexander (D) defeated DeShawn Wilkins (R) and Larry Betts (Working Class Party) in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 5 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Betty Jean Alexander (D)
77.4
70,010

DeShawn Wilkins (R)
18.2
16,479

Larry Betts (Working Class Party)
4.4
3,944

Total votes: 90,433
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 5

Betty Jean Alexander defeated incumbent David Knezek in the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Betty Jean Alexander (D)
54.5
18,928

David Knezek (D)
45.5
15,803

Total votes: 34,731
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 5

DeShawn Wilkins advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

DeShawn Wilkins (R)
100
4,944

Total votes: 4,944

2014

Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. David Knezek defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary. Jennifer Rynicki was unopposed in the Republican primary. Knezek defeated Rynicki in the general election. Incumbent Tupac Hunter (D) did not seek re-election due to term limits.

Michigan State Senate, District 5 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Knezek 81.8% 59,680
Republican Jennifer Rynicki 18.2% 13,286
Total Votes 72,966

Michigan State Senate, District 5 Democratic Primary, 2014

2010

Elections for the office of Michigan State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 3, 2010 and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 11, 2010. The deadline for independent candidates was July 15, 2010. Incumbent Tupac Hunter (D) defeated Bonnie Patrick (R) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the August 3 primary elections.

Michigan State Senate, District 5, General Election, 2010

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngTupac Hunter 83.3% 44,055
Republican Bonnie Patrick 16.7% 8,856
Total Votes 52,911

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Michigan State Senate District 5 raised a total of $604,819. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $35,578 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Michigan State Senate District 5

Year Amount Candidates Average
2014 $194,877 7 $27,840
2010 $67,577 1 $67,577
2006 $211,035 5 $42,207
2002 $131,330 4 $32,833
Total $604,819 17 $35,578