Democrat Chedrick Greene’s campaign used the Iran war as a pressure point against Republican rival Jason Tunney on Wednesday, as their pivotal Michigan state senate race hits the homestretch.
The two men are competing to represent a toss-up district for a special election set for May 5. The race is significant as Democrats currently have a one-seat majority in the Michigan Senate. If Tunney were to win, the chamber would be tied 19-19.
Greene highlighted the war in Iran, warning that the 35th District is “not happy” that the United States is involved in the conflict. His comments echo previous statements in which he suggested the war is detracting from affordability issues facing Michigan residents.
“This is a very purple district, and it swings back and forth,” Greene told the Washington Post. “People are not happy that we are spending close to a billion dollars a day on a conflict … that is causing things to get worse.”
The district encompasses Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. Early voting in the race has already started. The state senate seat was in Democratic hands before Kristen McDonald won her congressional campaign and vacated the post, triggering the special election. McDonald has emphasized the district’s politically purple slant, noting that she was the “only Michigan Democrat” to win a district that also backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Another one of Greene’s surrogates latched on to the war as he campaigned against Tunney last month.
“Everybody’s going to be paying the cost for a war with an unclear mission and an undefined endgame,” former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said following an event he spoke at with Greene in Midland.
Last month, one of Tunney’s allies defended the Iran war as he campaigned for the Republican in downtown Midland.
“If somebody told you that for the selfless sacrifice of seven of our brave heroes, we would be able to subjugate an entire nation in under two weeks, most nations would call that a resounding success,” said Rep. John James (R-MI), who is also a leading Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan. “Now we still have issues that we must resolve, but Congress isn’t waiting for that timeline to get answers from the administration, and the administration is cooperating.”
James said he believes the administration has been “extremely transparent,” has defined objectives, and there is a “clear mission” for the military engagement with a four-to-six-week timeline.
“At this particular point, our goal is to make sure that we keep this conflict short, limited in scope, and ultimately, mission-effective,” James said during the campaign event for Tunney.
The Michigan Democratic Party has continued to come after Tunney on the matter, accusing him of not being focused on families “struggling to make ends meet because of Donald Trump’s disastrous agenda and reckless Iran war.”
In an interview published Monday, Tunney noted voters are concerned about taxes and increasing energy costs, and emphasized that improving Michigan’s education system is one of his campaign’s priorities.
MALLORY MCMORROW CAMPAIGN HIT WITH RESURFACED TWEETS SHOWING PROGRESSIVE VIEWS
“We feel great, I think we have put together the best two weeks of the campaign in the last two weeks, so we are peaking at the right time,” he told ABC 12.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Tunney campaign for comment.