Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent

William Sowerby

About the District Census Topic | Value

|

Population | 88,385
Gender |

47.6% Male

52.4% Female

Race |

71.9% White

18.7% Black

1.7% Asian

0.3% Native American

0% Pacific Islander

Ethnicity | 3.1% Hispanic
Median household income | $56,174
High school graduation rate | 90.2%
College graduation rate | 18.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 census and 2020 ACS data

Michigan House of Representatives District 31 is represented by William Sowerby (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Michigan state representatives represented an average of 91,612 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 89,851 residents.

## Contents

* 1 About the office
* 1.1 Qualifications
* 1.2 Salaries
* 1.3 Term limits
* 1.4 Vacancies
* 2 2016 pivot county
* 3 District map
* 4 Redistricting
* 4.1 2020-2022
* 5 Elections
* 5.1 2022
* 5.2 2020
* 5.3 2018
* 5.4 2016
* 5.5 2014
* 5.6 2012
* 6 Campaign contributions
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

## About the office[edit]

Members of the Michigan House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits.[1] Michigan legislators assume office at noon on the first day of January.

### Qualifications[edit]

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

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."[2]

### Salaries[edit]

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislators

Salary| Per diem
$71,685/year| No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission. Vouchered.

### Term limits[edit]

See also: State legislatures with 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 representatives are subject to term limits of no more than three two-year terms, or a total of six years.[1]

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

### Vacancies[edit]

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Michigan State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election to fill the vacancy.[3][4]

When conducting a special election, the election should be held whenever the next general election is scheduled. If the vacancy happens after the statewide primary election, the leaders of the respective party organizations in the district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. The nominee must be voted on no later than 21 days after the vacancy occurred.[5]

See sources: Michigan Const. Art. 5, § 13

## 2016 pivot county[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties and Legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

This district is one of 710 state legislative districts that intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties is slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[6]

## District map[edit]

The map below shows this district's current boundaries, not those enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle.

## Redistricting[edit]

### 2020-2022[edit]

See also: Redistricting in Michigan after the 2020 census

The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) approved new district boundaries for both the state Senate and state House of Representatives on December 28, 2021. The commission approved what was known as the "Linden" map for state Senate districts by a vote of 9-4 with two Democrats, two Republicans, and all five nonpartisan members supporting the proposal. The commission adopted what was known as the "Hickory" map for state House of Representatives districts by a vote of 11-2 with four Democrats, two Republicans, and all five nonpartisan members supporting it.[7][8] As required, the adopted map was approved by "at least two commissioners who affiliate with each major party, and at least two commissioners who do not affiliate with either major party."[9] The maps became law on March 26, 2022—60 days after the MICRC published a report on the redistricting plans with the secretary of state.[10]

According to The Detroit News, The Linden Senate map...is expected to create districts that could yield 20 Democratic seats and 18 Republican seats. Senate Republicans currently have a 22-16 majority."[7] Clara Hendrickson of the Detroit Free Press wrote that, "The map appears to create 19 solidly Democratic districts, 16 solidly Republican districts, one Republican-leaning district and two toss-up districts, according to election results from the past decade."[11]

Beth LeBlanc of The Detroit News wrote that, "The Hickory House map...is expected to create districts that could produce 57 Democratic seats and 53 Republican seats. After the 2020 election, Michigan House Republicans had a 58-52 majority in the House."[7] Hendrickson wrote that, "The new map appears to create 41 solidly Democratic districts, 46 solidly Republican districts, nine Democratic-leaning districts, two Republican-leaning districts and 12 toss-up districts."[11] She also wrote, "Unlike the current map, there is no majority-Black district in the state Senate map adopted by the commission, while the state House map reduces the number of majority-Black districts in place today. Current and former state lawmakers from Detroit and civil rights leaders are vehemently opposed to how the new district lines reduce the share of Black voters. They argue that the elimination of majority-Black districts disenfranchises Black voters."[11] These maps take effect for Michigan’s 2022 legislative elections.

How does redistricting in Michigan work? In Michigan, a non-politician commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district plans. The commission comprises 13 members, including four Democrats, four Republicans, and five unaffiliated voters or members of minor parties. In order for a map to be enacted, at least seven members must vote for it, including at least two Democrats, two Republicans, and two members not affiliated with either major party.[12]

The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission prepared this document specifically explaining the redistricting process after the 2020 census.

### Michigan House of Representatives District 31
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

### Michigan House of Representatives District 31
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

## Elections[edit]

### 2022[edit]

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

The primary will occur on August 2, 2022. The general election will occur on November 8, 2022. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

#####  Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Reggie Miller and Glenn R. Morrison Jr. are running in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate

|

| Reggie Miller

| Glenn R. Morrison Jr.

* * *

There are no incumbents in this race.

|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

#####  Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Dale Biniecki and Holli Vallade are running in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate

|

| Dale Biniecki

| Holli Vallade

* * *

There are no incumbents in this race.

|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

* Jason Howland (R)

### 2020[edit]

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

##### General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent William Sowerby defeated Lisa Valerio-Nowc in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| William Sowerby (D) |

56.3

| 26,202

| Lisa Valerio-Nowc (R) |

43.7

| 20,364

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 46,566

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

#####  Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent William Sowerby defeated Michelle Robertson in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| William Sowerby |

57.4

| 6,300

| Michelle Robertson |

42.6

| 4,685

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 10,985

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

#####  Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Lisa Valerio-Nowc defeated Austin Negipe in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Lisa Valerio-Nowc |

60.1

| 4,338

| Austin Negipe |

39.9

| 2,878

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 7,216

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

### 2018[edit]

General election

##### General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent William Sowerby defeated Lisa Valerio-Nowc in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| William Sowerby (D)  |

59.9

| 20,791

| Lisa Valerio-Nowc (R)  |

40.1

| 13,925

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 34,716
(100.00% precincts reporting)

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

#####  Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent William Sowerby defeated Michelle Robertson in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| William Sowerby |

56.2

| 5,474

| Michelle Robertson |

43.8

| 4,271

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 9,745

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

#####  Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Lisa Valerio-Nowc defeated Catherine Osinski Dinka in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Lisa Valerio-Nowc |

50.5

| 3,002

| Catherine Osinski Dinka |

49.5

| 2,947

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 5,949

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

### 2016[edit]

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016. Incumbent Marilyn Lane (D) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.

William Sowerby defeated Lisa Valerio-Nowc and Michael Saliba in the Michigan House of Representatives District 31 general election.[13]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 General Election, 2016

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  |  William Sowerby | 56.16% | 22,735
| Republican  | Lisa Valerio-Nowc | 38.89% | 15,743
| Libertarian  | Michael Saliba | 4.96% | 2,007
Total Votes | 40,485
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

William Sowerby defeated Michael Brewington in the Michigan House of Representatives District 31 Democratic primary.[14][15]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  |  William Sowerby | 78.31% | 4,561
| Democratic  | Michael Brewington | 21.69% | 1,263
Total Votes | 5,824

Lisa Valerio-Nowc defeated Austin Negipe in the Michigan House of Representatives District 31 Republican primary.[14][15]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Republican Primary, 2016

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  |  Lisa Valerio-Nowc | 66.87% | 2,206
| Republican  | Austin Negipe | 33.13% | 1,093
Total Votes | 3,299

### 2014[edit]

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Incumbent Marilyn Lane defeated Kathy Blanke and Juliana Goldwater in the Democratic primary. Phil Rode was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lane defeated Rode in the general election.[16][17][18][19]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 General Election, 2014

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Marilyn Lane Incumbent | 61.1% | 15,769
| Republican  |  Phil Rode  | 38.9% | 10,054
Total Votes | 25,823
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Marilyn Lane Incumbent | 69.8% | 3,803
Kathy Blanke  | 18.4% | 1,004
Juliana Goldwater  | 11.8% | 643
Total Votes | 5,450

### 2012[edit]

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012 and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15, 2012. The deadline for independent candidates was July 19, 2012. The deadline for write-in candidates was July 27, 2012.[20] Incumbent Marilyn Lane (D) defeated Lynn Evans (R) and James Miller (L) in the general election. Lane was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Evans defeated Phil Rode in the Republican primary.[21][22]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 31, General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  | Marilyn Lane Incumbent | 61.7% | 24,443
| Republican  |  Lynn Evans  | 33.9% | 13,404
| Libertarian  |  James Miller  | 4.4% | 1,742
Total Votes | 39,589
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Lynn Evans | 61.9% | 2,625
Phil Rode  | 38.1% | 1,618
Total Votes | 4,243

## Campaign contributions[edit]

From 2000 to 2018, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 raised a total of $1,107,089. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $36,903 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 31

Year | Amount | Candidates | Average
2018 | $80,503 | 4 | $20,126
2016 | $37,799 | 5 | $7,560
2014 | $92,994 | 4 | $23,249
2012 | $82,747 | 3 | $27,582
2010 | $50,221 | 4 | $12,555
2008 | $122,852 | 2 | $61,426
2006 | $202,038 | 2 | $101,019
2004 | $300,920 | 3 | $100,307
2002 | $59,469 | 1 | $59,469
2000 | $77,546 | 2 | $38,773
Total | $1,107,089 | 30 | $36,903

## See also[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Michigan State Legislature
* Michigan House of Representatives
* Michigan State Senate

## External links[edit]

* Michigan Legislature

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 michiganinbrief.org, "Term limits," accessed December 17, 2013 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "limits" defined multiple times with different content
2. ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed February 12, 2021
3. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed February 12, 2021
4. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article 5, Statute 13," accessed February 12, 2021
5. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed May 22, 2014
6. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Detroit News, "Michigan redistricting panel wraps adoption of state House, Senate, congressional maps" December 28, 2021
8. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan redistricting commission adopts new state legislative maps," December 28, 2021
9. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Article IV § 6" - Independent citizens redistricting commission for state legislative and congressional districts," accessed January 3, 2022
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `MICRCemail`
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Detroit Free Press, "Michigan redistricting commission adopts new state legislative maps," December 28, 2021
12. ↑ Michigan Radio, "Redistricting proposal passes in Michigan," November 6, 2018
13. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed May 2, 2017
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed April 22, 2016
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Election Results," accessed August 2, 2016
16. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Representative in State Legislature," accessed August 6, 2014
17. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Representative in State Legislature," accessed December 5, 2014
18. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," accessed May 27, 2014
19. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan General Candidate Listing," accessed September 8, 2014
20. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2012 Michigan Election Dates.” Retrieved October 29, 2013
21. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, 2012 primary election results. Retrieved October 29, 2013
22. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, 2010 general election results. Retrieved October 29, 2013

[show]

Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Jason Wentworth

Representatives

District 1

Tenisha Yancey (D)

District 2

Joseph Tate (D)

District 3

Shri Thanedar (D)

District 4

Abraham Aiyash (D)

District 5

Cynthia Johnson (D)

District 6

Tyrone Carter (D)

District 7

Helena Scott (D)

District 8

Stephanie Young (D)

District 9

Karen Whitsett (D)

District 10

Mary Cavanagh (D)

District 11

Jewell Jones (D)

District 12

Alex Garza (D)

District 13

Tullio Liberati (D)

District 14

Cara Clemente (D)

District 15

Jeffrey Pepper (D)

District 16

Kevin Coleman (D)

District 17

Joseph Bellino (R)

District 18

Kevin Hertel (D)

District 19

Laurie Pohutsky (D)

District 20

Matt Koleszar (D)

District 21

Ranjeev Puri (D)

District 22

Richard Steenland (D)

District 23

Darrin Camilleri (D)

District 24

Steve Marino (R)

District 25

Nate Shannon (D)

District 26

Jim Ellison (D)

District 27

Regina Weiss (D)

District 28

Lori Stone (D)

District 29

Brenda Carter (D)

District 30

Diana Farrington (R)

District 31

William Sowerby (D)

District 32

Pamela Hornberger (R)

District 33

Jeff Yaroch (R)

District 34

Cynthia Neeley (D)

District 35

Kyra Harris Bolden (D)

District 36

Terence Mekoski (R)

District 37

Samantha Steckloff (D)

District 38

Kelly Breen (D)

District 39

Ryan Berman (R)

District 40

Mari Manoogian (D)

District 41

Padma Kuppa (D)

District 42

Ann Bollin (R)

District 43

Mike Harris (R)

District 44

Matt Maddock (R)

District 45

Mark Tisdel (R)

District 46

John Reilly (R)

District 47

Robert Bezotte (R)

District 48

David Martin (R)

District 49

John Cherry (D)

District 50

Tim Sneller (D)

District 51

Mike Mueller (R)

District 52

Donna Lasinski (D)

District 53

Yousef Rabhi (D)

District 54

Ronnie Peterson (D)

District 55

Felicia Brabec (D)

District 56

T. Clements (R)

District 57

Bronna Kahle (R)

District 58

Andrew Fink (R)

District 59

Steve Carra (R)

District 60

Julie Rogers (D)

District 61

Christine Morse (D)

District 62

Jim Haadsma (D)

District 63

Matt Hall (R)

District 64

Julie Alexander (R)

District 65

Sarah Lightner (R)

District 66

Beth Griffin (R)

District 67

Kara Hope (D)

District 68

Sarah Anthony (D)

District 69

Julie Brixie (D)

District 70

Pat Outman (R)

District 71

Angela Witwer (D)

District 72

Steven Johnson (R)

District 73

Bryan Posthumus (R)

District 74

Carol Glanville (D)

District 75

David LaGrand (D)

District 76

Rachel Hood (D)

District 77

Tommy Brann (R)

District 78

Brad Paquette (R)

District 79

Pauline Wendzel (R)

District 80

Mary Whiteford (R)

District 81

Gary Eisen (R)

District 82

Gary Howell (R)

District 83

Andrew Beeler (R)

District 84

Phil Green (R)

District 85

Ben Frederick (R)

District 86

Thomas Albert (R)

District 87

Julie Calley (R)

District 88

Luke Meerman (R)

District 89

Jim Lilly (R)

District 90

Bradley Slagh (R)

District 91

Greg VanWoerkom (R)

District 92

Terry Sabo (D)

District 93

Graham Filler (R)

District 94

Rodney Wakeman (R)

District 95

Amos O'Neal (D)

District 96

Timothy Beson (R)

District 97

Jason Wentworth (R)

District 98

Annette Glenn (R)

District 99

Roger Hauck (R)

District 100

Scott VanSingel (R)

District 101

Jack O'Malley (R)

District 102

Michele Hoitenga (R)

District 103

Daire Rendon (R)

District 104

John Roth (R)

District 105

Ken Borton (R)

District 106

Sue Allor (R)

District 107

John Damoose (R)

District 108

Beau LaFave (R)

District 109

Sara Cambensy (D)

District 110

Gregory Markkanen (R)

Republican Party (57)

Democratic Party (53)

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