UPDATE, Nov. 18, 2020: Chandra Baker and Mary Beth Kelly win the 3rd Circuit Court judicial race, according to official election results. Nicholas John Hathaway had previously declared victory based on unofficial results.
UPDATE, Nov. 7, 2020: Democrat Joe Biden wins the presidency, and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris will become the first female vice president.
The 2020 general election is unlike any other election Detroit has experienced. After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every facet of life for Detroiters, many residents chose to vote early via absentee ballots or at in-person satellite voting locations. The city is reporting an unofficial voter turnout of 49.65%, which is more than in 2016 but not the record-breaking high that City Clerk Janice Winfrey projected.
According to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, more than 92% of the 3.3 million absentee ballots requested by Michiganders were returned by voters to be tallied. That means that more than 3.1 million Michiganders voted in this election BEFORE Election Day — that’s 55% of the total turnout, which exceeds 5.5 million and is a record number of voters for a Michigan election. Detroiters voted heavily Democratic — no surprise there. The city played a crucial role in pushing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to a narrow win in Michigan, with 94% of Detroit voters going for Biden and only 5% for President Donald Trump, according to unofficial election results. Statewide, Biden’s lead was less than 3 points as of Thursday, with more than 98% reporting.
The Senate race saw similar results: 92% of Detroiters voted for winner and Democratic incumbent Sen. Gary Peters and about 5% voted for his Republican challenger John James. Statewide, Peters won by less than 2 points.
Below, we’ve included 2020 election results for the Michigan general election that matter to Detroiters, including Michigan’s presidential winner, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Michigan House, county- and city-level races and state proposals.
Michigan Presidential Election: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has won Michigan, flipping the state blue after it elected President Donald Trump in 2016. The race was called for Biden Wednesday evening, with Trump’s earlier lead Tuesday night falling away as results came in from slower-counting Democratic cities.
U.S. Senator: After one of the most expensive and closely-watched Senate races of the year, Gary Peters has emerged victorious — in a historically close contest. The Democratic incumbent, who faced an assertive challenge from Republican businessman and veteran John James, will return to the Senate to serve his second six-year term, after the Associated Press called the race for Peters after 9 p.m. on Wednesday. At the time of publication, Peters won by just less than 60,000 votes, or 1.1 percentage points, with 98% reporting. Read more here.
Representative in Congress, 13th District: Incumbent Rashida Tlaib won the race for Representative in Congress, according to the Associated Press. Tlaib will return to the House of Representatives for her second term representing portions of Detroit and Wayne County including Highland Park, Inkster, River Rouge, Ecorse, Westland, and part of Romulus. CNN also called wins for the other members of the so-called “squad” — all women of color in Congress — including Tlaib, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. (Associated Press, CNN)
Representative in Congress, 14th District: Democratic incumbent Brenda Lawrence, who was first elected in 2014, will serve a fourth term in the House of Representatives.
Michigan Supreme Court: Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack will retain her seat, and the other open seat will go to Elizabeth Welch. Supreme Court justices appear on the nonpartisan section of the ballot but are nominated at state party conventions. Both McCormack and Welch are Democratic nominees, which means that Democrats now have a 4-3 advantage in the court. Each justice serves an 8-year term.
Judge of 3rd Circuit Court (non-incumbent positions): Mary Beth Kelly and Chandra Baker won the two seats after candidate Nicholas John Hathaway incorrectly declared victory based on unofficial vote counts. The official results show Baker just .04 points ahead of Hathaway. Kelly was previously selected by former Gov. Rick Snyder to chair the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice and Baker is lead attorney in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office. They will each serve six-year terms on the 3rd Circuit Court, which is the largest circuit court in Michigan.
Detroit school board: Incumbents Sonya Mays and Misha Stallworth will retain their seats on the seven-member Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a former science teacher and current term-limited state representative in Detroit, narrowly beat incumbent Iris Taylor for the third seat. All three winners will serve four-year terms.
Proposals 1 & 2: A proposal to change how oil & gas revenue can be spent on public lands and another that requires a search warrant for electronic data both passed by wide margins.
Proposal N: The proposal spearheaded by Mayor Mike Duggan to issue debt to demolish 6,000 homes in Detroit and restore another 8,000 passed with 70.3% of the vote.
Regional Enhancement Millage Renewal Proposal: The proposal, which renews a current 2 mill property tax that generates revenue for Wayne County public schools, passed with 68% of the vote. The tax will be renewed in fall 2022.
United States President
- Joseph R. Biden, Kamala D. Harris (Democratic Party): 49.8%
- Donald J. Trump, Michael R. Pence (Republican Party): 48.6%
- Jo Jorgensen, Jeremy Cohen (Libertarian Party) 1.1%
- Don Blankenship, William Mohr (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
- Howie Hawkins, Angela Walker (Green Party)
- Rocky De La Fuente, Darcy Richardson (Natural Law Party)
United States Senator
- Gary Peters (Democratic Party): 49.6%
- John James (Republican Party): 48.5%
- Valerie L. Willis (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
- Marcia Squier (Green Party)
- Doug Dern (Natural Law Party)
Representative in Congress, 13th District
- Rashida Tlaib (Democratic Party): 77.9%
- David Dudenhoefer (Republican Party): 18.8%
- Sam Johnson (Working Class Party) 1.9%
Representative in Congress, 14th District
- Brenda Lawrence (Democratic Party): 78.8%
- Robert Vance Patrick (Republican Party): 18.8%
- Lisa Lane Gioia (Libertarian Party) 1.1%
Representative in State Legislature, 1st District
- Tenisha Yancey (Democratic Party): 75%
- Latricia Ann Lanier (Republican Party): 23%
Representative in State Legislature, 2nd District
- Joseph Tate (Democratic Party): 74.1%
- Mayra Rodriguez (Republican Party): 23.8%
Representative in State Legislature, 3rd District
- Shri Thanedar (Democratic Party): 92.8%
- Anita Vinson (Republican Party): 4.3%
Representative in State Legislature, 4th District
- Abraham Aiyash (Democratic Party): 89.8%
- Howard Weathington (Republican Party): 5.7%
Representative in State Legislature, 5th District
- Cynthia A. Johnson (Democratic Party): 93.4%
- Harold Day (Republican Party) 6.6%
Representative in State Legislature, 6th District
- Tyrone Carter (Democratic Party): winner, uncontested
Representative in State Legislature, 7th District
- Helena Scott (Democratic Party): 93%
- Kimberly Givens (Working Class Party): 3.5%
Representative in State Legislature, 8th District
- Stephanie Young (Democratic Party): 96.7%
- Miroslawa Teresa Gorak (Republican Party): 3.3%
Representative in State Legislature, 9th District
- Karen Whitsett (Democratic Party): 94%
- James Stephens (Republican Party): 6%
Representative in State Legislature, 10th District
- Mary Cavanagh (Democratic Party): 84.7%
- Cathy Alcorn (Republican Party): 15.3%
Member of the State Board of Education
- Ellen Cogen Lipton (Democratic Party): 24.54%
- Jason Strayhorn (Democratic Party): 23.51%
- Michelle A. Frederick (Republican Party): 23.02%
- Tami Carlone (Republican Party): 22.79%
- Mary Anne Hering (Working Class Party): 1.46%
- Bill Hall (Libertarian Party): 1.24%
- Richard A. Hewer (Libertarian Party): <1%
- Hali McEachern (Working Class Party): <1%
- Karen Adams (U.S. Taxpayers Party): <1%
- Tom Mair (Green Party): <1%
- Douglas Levesque (U.S. Taxpayers Party): <1%
Regent of the University of Michigan
- Mark Bernstein (Democratic Party): 24.67%
- Sarah Hubbard (Republican): 23.98%
- Shauna Ryder Diggs (Democratic Party): 23.91%
- Carl Meyers (Republican): 22.83%
- Eric Larson (Libertarian Party): 1.15%
- James Lewis Hudler (Libertarian Party): <1%
- Crystal Van Sickle (US Taxpayers Party): <1%
- Michael Mawilai (Green Party): <1%
- Ronald Graeser (US Taxpayers Party): <1%
- Keith Butkovich (Natural Law Party): <1%
Trustee of Michigan State University
- Pat O’Keefe (Republican Party): 24.20%
- Rema Vassar (Democratic Party): 24.04%
- Brian Mosallam (Democratic Party): 23.67%
- Tonya Schuitmaker (Republican Party): 23.42%
- Will Tyler White (Libertarian Party): 1.26%
- Janet Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan): <1%
- Robin Laurain (Green Party): <1%
- Brandon Hu (Green Party): <1%
- John Paul Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan): <1%
- Bridgette Abraham-Guzman (Natural Law Party): <1%
Governor of Wayne State University
- Terri Lynn Land (Republican Party): 24.47%
- Shirley Stancato (Democratic Party): 24.26%
- Eva Garza Dewaelsche (Democratic Party): 24.16%
- Don Gates (Republican Party): 23.67%
- Jon Elgas (Libertarian Party): 1.30%
- Christine Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan): 1.10%
- Susan Odgers (Green Party): 1.03%
Justice of Michigan Supreme Court
- Bridget Mary McCormack: 32.2%
- Elizabeth Welch: 20.2%
- Mary Kelly: 17%
- Brock Swartzle: 13.7%
- Susan L. Hubbard: 8.3%
- Kerry Lee Morgan: 4.6%
Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney
- Kym Worthy (Democratic Party): 81.7%
- Daniel Ziemba (Libertarian Party): 17.2%
Wayne County Sheriff
- Benny Napoleon (Democrat): winner, uncontested
Wayne County Clerk
- Cathy Garrett (Democratic Party): 70.9%
- Dylan Gomula (Republican Party): 28.7%
Wayne County Treasurer
- Eric Sabree (Democratic Party): 67.7%
- Anthony Wozniak (Republican Party): 31.8%
Wayne County Register of Deeds
- Bernard Youngblood (Democratic Party): 69.7%
- Parker Burns (Republican Party): 27.1%
- Richard Secula (Libertarian Party): 2.9%
Wayne County Commissioner District 1
- Tim Killeen (Democratic Party): winner, uncontested
Wayne County Commissioner District 2
- Jewel Ware (Democratic Party): 93.7%
- James Cole Jr. (Green Party): 5.9%
Wayne County Commissioner District 3
- Martha G. Scott (Democratic Party): winner, uncontested
Wayne County Commissioner District 4
- Ilona Varga (Democratic Party): 86.6%
- Loel Robert Gnadt (Libertarian Party): 11.6%
Wayne County Commissioner District 5
- Irma Clark-Coleman (Democratic Party): winner, uncontested
Wayne County Commissioner District 6
- Monique Baker McCormick (Democratic Party): winner, uncontested
Wayne County Commissioner District 7
- Alisha Bell (Democratic Party): winner, uncontested
Judge of Court of Appeals, 1st District, incumbent positions
- Karen Fort Hood: winner, uncontested
- Anica Letica: winner, uncontested
- Christopher M. Murray: winner, uncontested
Judge of Circuit Court, 3rd circuit incumbent positions
- David Allen: winner, uncontested
- Mariam Bazzi: winner, uncontested
- Christopher Dingell: winner, uncontested
- Charlene Elder: winner, uncontested
- Helal Farhat: winner, uncontested
- John Gillis: winner, uncontested
- Noah Hood: winner, uncontested
- Edward Joseph: winner, uncontested
- Don Knapp: winner, uncontested
- Cylenthia LaToye Miller: winner, uncontested
- Lynne A. Pierce: winner, uncontested
- Lawrence Talon: winner, uncontested
- Carla Testani: winner, uncontested
- Margaret Van Houten: winner, uncontested
- Shannon N. Walker: winner, uncontested
Judge of Circuit Court, 3rd circuit non-incumbent positions
- Mary Beth Kelly: 27.69%
- Chandra W. Baker: 24.86%Â
- Nicholas John Hathaway: 24.82%Â
- Shakira Lynn Hawkins: 21.4%
Judge of Circuit Court, 3rd Circuit, Incumbent Position, Partial Term Ending 01/01/2023
- Darnella Williams-Claybourne: winner, uncontested
Judge of Probate Court, incumbent position
- David Braxton: winner, uncontested
- Judy Hartsfield: winner, uncontested
- Terrance Ashworth Keith: winner, uncontested
Judge of District Court, 36th District, Incumbent Position
- Nancy M. Blount: winner, uncontested
- Demetria Brue: winner, uncontested
- E. Lynise Bryant: winner, uncontested
- Ronald Giles: winner, uncontested
- Adrienne Hinnant-Johnson: winner, uncontested
- Shannon A. Holmes: winner, uncontested
- Patricia L. Jefferson: winner, uncontested
- Kenneth J. King: winner, uncontested
- Michael E. Wagner: winner, uncontested
Judge of District Court, 36th District, Incumbent, Position Partial Term Ending 01/01/2023
- Kristina Robinson Garrett: winner, uncontested
- Jacquelyn A. McClinton: winner, uncontested
Board Member, Detroit Public Schools Community District
- Sonya Mays: 14.71%
- Misha Stallworth: 14.12%
- Sherry Gay-Dagnogo: 11.28%
- Iris Taylor: 10.98%
- LaMar Lemmons: 8.29%
- Bessie Harris: 7.94%
- Ida C. Short: 6.61%
- Jermain Jones: 4.78%
- Elena Herrada: 4.24%
- Zsa Zsa Hubbard: 4.09%
- Richard Clement: 3.29%
- John Telford: 3.31%
- T. Lemmons: 3.24%
- Chico Frank Sorrell: 2.43%