Republican primary elections for all 38 districts in the Michigan State Senate took place on Aug. 2, 2022. Of the 38 districts up for election in 2022, 25 had a Republican primary election with more than one candidate.
Across all contested Republican primary elections, candidates raised $6.2 million. Incumbents raised an average of $287,584 per candidate and challengers raised an average of $62,040 per candidate.
Five primary elections with the most fundraising
The table below details the five Republican primary elections with the most fundraising in the State Senate. Winning candidates’ names are in bold.
| District | Money Raised | Officeholder | Candidates |
| District 20 | $969,927 | Sean McCann (D) | Aric Nesbitt, Austin Kreutz, and Kaleb Hudson |
| District 35 | $521,894 | Curt VanderWall (R) | Annette Glenn, Tim Kelly, Chris Velasquez, and Martin Blank |
| District 17 | $520,364 | Dale Zorn (R) | Jonathan Lindsey, Kim LaSata, and Bronna Kahle |
| District 18 | $448,574 | Jeff Irwin (D) | Thomas Albert and Ryan Mancinelli |
| District 37 | $431,104 | Wayne Schmidt (R) | John Damoose, Triston Cole, William Hindle, and Richard Gillespie |
The officeholders above are listed for the current districts they hold. However, this is a redistricting year, so candidates have been identified below as incumbents even if they are running in a different district than they currently hold.
#1 District 20 – $969,927
Incumbent Aric Nesbitt raised $953,124, Austin Kreutz raised $16,375, and Kaleb Hudson raised $428.
Aric Nesbitt advanced to the general election with 67 percent of the vote, Austin Kreutz received 21 percent of the vote, and Kaleb Hudson received 11 percent of the vote.
#2 District 35 – $521,894
Annette Glenn raised $301,055, Chris Velasquez raised $160,331, Tim Kelly raised $60,409, and Martin Blank raised $100.
Annette Glenn advanced to the general election with 41 percent of the vote, Tim Kelly received 22 percent of the vote, Chris Velasquez received 19 percent of the vote, and Martin Blank received 18 percent of the vote.
#3 District 17 – $520,364
Incumbent Kim LaSata raised $198,412, Jonathan Lindsey raised $185,743, and Bronna Kahle raised $136,210.
Jonathan Lindsey advanced to the general election with 61 percent of the vote, Kim LaSata received 39 percent of the vote, and Bronna Kahle withdrew.
#4 District 18 – $448,574
Thomas Albert raised $448,574 and Ryan Mancinelli raised $0.
Thomas Albert advanced to the general election with 70 percent of the vote and Ryan Mancinelli received 30 percent of the vote.
#5 District 37 – $431,104
John Damoose raised $276,362, Triston Cole raised $131,652, William Hindle raised $23,090, and Richard Gillespie raised $0.
John Damoose advanced to the general election with 49 percent of the vote, Triston Cole received 37 percent of the vote, William Hindle received 14 percent of the vote, and Richard Gillespie withdrew.
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Michigan PACs submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Annual/January | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 April (PACs) | 4/25/2022 |
| 2022 July (PACs) | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary | 9/1/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/28/2023 |
| 2022 Post-General | 12/8/2022 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.
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