Bay County election roundup: who won, who lost and what it means

BAY COUNTY, MI – Change is coming in Bay County, where several incumbents in both countywide and local municipal races were ousted by challengers in the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election.

The change was perhaps most evident on the governing bodies for both Bay County as a whole and its county seat, Bay City.

For the Bay County Board of Commissioners, a red wave consumed the governing body, mirroring a trend that was seen across the county, state and even the nation.

When the Bay County Board of Commissioners meets in January 2025, four of the seven people on the board will be new faces. Of those, three will be Republicans – leaving just one Democrat on the board.

One significant spot that remains unchanged is the county executive. Democratic incumbent Jim Barcia faced a very close race with Republican challenger Kevin Shark but held on to retain his seat.

Related:

Red wave takes over Bay County local elections, mirroring statewide trend

Bay County Executive Barcia wins close race to remain county leader

New faces will be plenty on the Bay City Commission, as well, following the general election. Four new members are joining the nine-person governing body – two who won contested races and two who advanced after being unopposed. A fifth new member will be appointed at some point this year or next.

The city commission also will be tasked with working with a new mayor , a further shake up at the top of Bay City government.

Bay County voters also opted for change in the county prosecutor's office. Mike Kanuszewski, a Republican, defeated incumbent Democrat Nancy E. Borushko in a highly contested race to become Bay County's lead prosecutor.

Kokaly, Dewitt win seats on Bay City Commission

Chris Girard defeats Andrea Burney in race for Bay City Mayor

Here's what the Bay City Commission will look like after Nov. 5 election

Kanuszewski unseats Borushko in Bay County Prosecutor race

Bay County's House Republicans retain seats

While there was no shortage of change at the hyper local level, statewide races involving Bay County saw some incumbents retain their seat.

Three members of the Michigan House of Representatives who have ties to the Bay County area were running for reelection in the November general election. All three won.

Schuette wins reelection to Michigan House of Representatives

Hoadley wins reelection, defeats LeRoux for 99th House District seat

Tim Beson defeats Rudy Howard to retain 96th House District seat

Bill G. Schuette retained his seat in the race to represent Michigan's 95th House District, which includes all of Midland County, and Beaverton, Billings and Tobacco townships in Gladwin County. Schuette, an incumbent Republican, defeated challenger Sabrina Lopez, a Democrat.

Mike Hoadley won reelection in the race for Michigan's 99th House District. An incumbent Republican, Hoadley defeated Democratic challenger Jon LeRoux.

Meanwhile, incumbent Republican Tim Beson retained his seat as the representative for Michigan's 96th House District after defeating Democratic challenger Rudy Howard.

Similar number of Bay County voters took part in 2024 general election as in 2020

Presidential elections tend to bring out the most voters. That was the case in Bay County during this election cycle, which saw more than 61,000 voters cast a ballot in the general election, compared to 22,000 in the August primary.

The number of voters in this year's general election was similar to the last time two presidential candidates appeared on a November ballot.

According to the Michigan Secretary of State website , 61,614 people cast votes in Bay County in this year's general election, which pitted Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris against former Republican President Donald J. Trump. According to the Bay County Clerk's Office , 61,117 Bay County residents voted in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, which saw Democratic President Joe Biden running against Trump.