This picture taken in 2019 before the State Democratic Convention at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Both parties will meet this weekend in Detoit to select party chairs. (Ken Coleman/Michigan Advance)

DETROIT — On Saturday, members of the Michigan Democratic Party and the Michigan Republican Party will meet to, among other things, select their next chair to lead the party heading into 2026.

At the MIGOP convention, being held at Huntington Place in Detroit, members will select their next chair from three candidates: former party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) and Joe Cella, who served as ambassador to Fiji during President Donald Trump’s first term. While Republican Consultant Scott Greenlee previously placed his hat in the ring, he has since dropped out, giving Maddock his endorsement.

Members of the Democratic Party, meeting at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, will choose between former state Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing) and community organizer Al “BJ” Williams, with the former chair of the party’s Rural Caucus, Mark Ludwig, dropping his bid to run as second vice chair on the slate for the Michigan Solidarity Coalition.

While Republicans were able to win control of the House in 2024, they will need to defend that majority during the next election cycle as all 110 seats are back on the ballot. The 38 seats of the Michigan state Senate — which is currently led by Democrats — will also be on the ballot alongside the governorship as each party vies to reclaim control of the Legislature and the executive office.

Additionally, with U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) opting against seeking reelection in 2026, Michigan will likely see another highly competitive Senate race, while several members of the U.S. House aim to defend their own battleground districts.

Republicans seek to make further headway in 2026

With current MIGOP chair Pete Hoekstra departing to serve as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Canada, Maddock has emerged as a favorite, including among attendees at a forum held in Berrien County, winning 66.7% of the straw poll vote among the 60 participants.

Maddock, who is married to state Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford), is a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump and is one of the 15 people facing charges as part of the fake electors scheme which aimed to falsely deliver Michigan’s electoral votes for Trump in the 2020, despite his loss to former President Joe Biden.

Maddock previously served as the party’s co-chair alongside chair Ron Weiser from 2021 to 2023.

Runestad is serving his second term in the state Senate after serving four years in the Michigan House of Representatives. He was previously ranked as one of the state’s most conservative senators and has touted his effort to combat undocumented immigration as an Oakland County commissioner by implementing the federal E-Verify program used to determine if employees are eligible to work in the United States.

In addition to serving as ambassador to Fiji, Cella served as the Catholic liaison for Trump’s 2016 campaign, as well as a member of his transition team.

Heading into Saturday, GOP Strategist Jason Roe said Republicans want to see a leader who can take advantage of the opportunities Republicans have in 2026.

While there won’t be a huge difference from Hoekstra as far as stewardship of the party, the most important thing is having a leader the Republican National Committee can trust, said Roe, who previously served as the party’s executive director.

“I think with any of these three, you will get that,” Roe said.

However, there will be some questions about what each candidate can do for fundraising, as many donors have checked out following the chaos of the 2020 election, Roe said.

“I think with Meshawn you have someone that probably animates the grassroots more. You have in Joe Cella someone who probably has more confidence from the traditional Republican donors. And you have in Runestad someone who’s been a very effective partisan in Lansing and, you know, brings kind of this fighting attitude to the job.

So it’s three different styles, three different backgrounds, but you know, I think any of the three can do that most important job, which is working with the National Committee on the priorities of the state,” Roe said.

Looking into 2026, moving money will be crucial for the party chair, Roe said, with the Republican Governors Association, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National Party all looking for a trusted partner.

“My back of the envelope [calculation] is that we’re going to spend probably somewhere in the neighborhood of seven to $800 million on elections between the two parties, given everything that’s going on. So there’s going to be just this huge inflow of money into the state, and a lot of that is going to travel through the Michigan Republican Party and so those organizations need to know that they can trust the leadership of the party,” said Roe.

However, fidelity to Trump may be more important among the State’s delegates, Roe said, adding that while Maddock likely has the strongest claim to that mantle, both Runestad and Cella have very legitimate relationships with the Trump administration.

Democrats face calls to rebuild after disappointing results in 2024

With Lavora Barnes, who has served as the Michigan Democratic Party chair since 2018 deciding not to seek reelection, Dems must search for new leadership to help carry the party through the next election cycle.

Alongside serving in the Michigan State Senate from 2015 through 2022, Hertel served as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s legislative director before resigning to run for U.S. House in Michigan’s 7th Congressional district. However, Hertel was ultimately unsuccessful, winning 46.6% of the vote against his former Senate colleague, now U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), who received 50.3% of the vote.

On his website campaigning for chair, Williams touts his 25 years of experience in political leadership and advocacy.

He founded Vote Smart Detroit, a voter registration and education initiative targeting Detroit Public School students, co-founded and served as a chartering board member of both the party’s grassroots caucus and the cannabis caucus.

Williams also served as the executive director of United Precinct Delegates, which trains and supports precinct delegates to serve as a bridge between the Democratic Party and their community.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, the largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.