In one of the more closely watched elections in Kent County Tuesday evening, three candidates looked to fill a vacant seat in the 74th District, while Democrat Carol Glanville pulled off an upset in what historically has been a Republican stronghold.
The 74th has been empty ever since Michigan Representative and Republican Mark Huizenga left after being elected to the 28th District in the Michigan Senate in November of 2021.
While voters considered Republican Robert Regan as well as Republican write-in candidate Mike Milanowski Jr. as Huizenga's replacement in Lansing, Glanville came away with a victory she said many thought impossible.
“I said it was a Republican district so it was unwinnable for us, and here we are with a resounding win,” Glanville said. “It’s thrilling, and I am relieved that we came through, and so many people came together, and we got the work done.”
The election to the 74th comes on the heels of Regan's recent controversial comments on sexual assault that brought on heavy criticism from both sides of the political aisle.
Milanowski told WGVU he entered the race last month just to give conservative voters "another option."
Despite winning, Glanville’s time in Lansing will be, for now, short-lived, as the term is only for eight months.
Glanville said however, she will be running for re-election when the time comes in the newly drawn 84th district.
