DETROIT – At its annual state convention last Saturday in downtown Detroit, the Michigan Democratic Party elected former State Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. as its new chair, positioning him to lead the party into the critical 2026 elections. These elections will include races for:

• Governor
• Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• All 110 Michigan House seats
• All 38 Michigan Senate seats
• One U.S Senate seat

Hertel’s election was uncontested after his only opponent, activist Al Williams, withdrew due to failing to gather the required signatures to trigger a vote at the convention, which was held at the Renaissance Center. Several high-profile Democratic leaders, including current members of Congress, attended the event.

The 47-year-old political veteran had been the front-runner after securing the endorsement of Governor Whitmer to succeed outgoing party chair Lavora Barnes. Barnes, who chose not to seek re-election, made the decision after Democrats suffered major losses in the 2024 elections, including:

• Losing control of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Donald Trump flipping Michigan in the presidential race

A political legacy

Hertel comes from a prominent political family. His late father, Curtis Hertel, Sr., served as speaker of the Michigan House from 1993 to 1994. His brother, Kevin Hertel, currently serves in the Michigan Senate.

 Hertel himself served as a state senator from 2015 to 2023, representing Lansing, before joining Governor Whitmer’s administration as her chief lobbyist.

Last year, Hertel ran for Michigan’s Seventh Congressional District, previously held by retiring Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee, but lost to Republican Tom Barrett. Despite this defeat, Whitmer backed him for party leadership, highlighting his experience and the importance of the 2026 elections, where term limits will prevent Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson from seeking re-election.

Democratic and Republican voters will choose gubernatorial candidates in party primaries in August 2026. The nominees for lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state will be chosen by convention delegates.

Hertel’s vision for 2026

In his victory speech, Hertel called for party unity, emphasizing the need to focus on working-class voters and adopt a proactive strategy to win in 2026. He vowed to:

• Win back the Michigan House of Representatives
• Defend the Democratic majority in the Michigan Senate
• Retain the governor’s office

His ultimate goal: to restore Democratic control of all three branches of state government, or what he called the “governing troika.”

“I want to win the governor’s race, and we’re going to invest a lot of time there,” he said. “But winning the governor’s race without winning the House and the Senate is like standing in the goal just playing defense. I want to go on offense and get things done for people. And the only way to do that is to restore the troika.”

Defining the Democratic Party’s identity

Hertel stressed the importance of economic and social justice issues.

“If we are not the party of fair wages, if we are not the party of affordable housing, if we are not the party of affordable water, if we are not the party of equal access to housing, if we are not the party of equal access to the ballot box… then we will cease to exist as a party in this country,” he said.

He also took a subtle jab at the party’s 2024 election strategy.

“I believe the party has been too focused on the top of the ballot,” he said, emphasizing the need to prioritize local elections and connect with voters on grassroots issues.

“We either stand up for working families, or we won’t win elections again.”

New leadership team

Barnes became the first Black chair of the Michigan Democratic Party in 2019 and served for six years. Hertel will lead the Michigan Democratic Party for the next two years.

His new leadership team includes:

• First Vice Chair Portia Roberson – A Black civil rights advocate and Detroit political figure. She is a native Detroiter and currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Focus: HOPE, a social justice nonprofit.
• Second Vice Chair Dr. Shahin Nazmul Hassan – a Bangladeshi American political organizer.

Addressing party divisions

The convention discussions focused on lessons learned from 2024 and included acknowledgments of mistakes made, particularly in outreach to key voting blocs, including Arab Americans.

One of the most controversial moments in 2024 was the party’s treatment of Palestinian American civil rights lawyer Huwaida Arraf, who was blocked from running for a seat on the University of Michigan Board of Regents in what many described as a “non-transparent” selection process at the August 2024 Democratic convention.

At Saturday’s convention, Arraf urged Arab American delegates to stay engaged in the Democratic Party despite their frustration over the 2024 elections, which were deeply divided over U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

She revealed that both Hertel and Williams had admitted to her that the party “wronged our community” by ignoring Arab and Muslim demands to end the war.

A call for inclusivity

Hertel directly addressed the tensions from August, when pro-Palestinian student voices were ignored at the convention. He called the party’s handling of the issue “completely wrong” and vowed that it would never happen again.

“I’m tired of people blaming the ‘Uncommitted’ movement for the 2024 losses,” he said, referring to the grassroots protest vote that significantly impacted Democratic performance in Michigan.

“If we are going to be the big-tent party that we claim to be, and if we want to unite this party, then when people show up at the convention to make their voices heard — we need to welcome them,” he added.