David LaGrand appears headed for victory in Grand Rapids mayoral race

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – With no precincts fully reporting before midnight Tuesday, former state Rep. David LaGrand had a decisive lead in the Grand Rapids mayoral race.

Once the ballots are all tallied, Grand Rapids voters will have elected a new mayor. LaGrand is running against former City Commissioner Senita Lenear for the job.

As of 12:27 a.m. Wednesday, LaGrand was in the lead with 62.62% of the vote, or 50,145 votes, and Lenear was in second place with 36.07% of the vote, or 28,884

There were just over 1,000 write-in ballots for the seat.

No precincts are fully reported as of 12:15 a.m., but Kent County Elections Coordinator Mike Sullivan said there are only about 900 votes left to be tallied in the city of Grand Rapids. There was no ETA on when the results would be fully reported.

LaGrand would take the seat currently held by Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, who is term limited and unable to seek re-election. She was elected to the office in 2016 and served as the city's first female mayor.

LaGrand, 57, is an attorney who previously worked as a Kent County assistant prosecutor. He served as the state representative for the 75th District from 2015 to 2022, he was a Grand Rapids city commissioner from 2007 to 2010, and he also served as a Grand Rapids school board member from 2012 to 2015.