House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) meets with reporters after being named speaker of the House for the upcoming legislative session on Nov. 7, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
With Tuesday’s election restoring Michigan House Republican’s majority in the chamber, both parties are beginning to draw up their game plans for the 2025-26 legislative session as Democrats plot to retake the majority.
On Thursday, Michigan House Republicans selected Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) to be the next House speaker, while Democrats selected Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) as minority leader, as House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) opted against seeking a leadership position.
While Republicans will hold a 58-52 majority in the chamber, Democrats will retain the majority in the Senate. However, state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet’s (D-Bay City) successful election to the U.S. House will leave the Senate with one less member in their already slim 20-18 majority.
Michigan Republicans pick Hall as House speaker next term, Puri chosen by Dems as minority leader
Hall told reporters his experience serving as minority leader in a Democratic majority House split 56-54 has given him some experience ahead of working with the Senate and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2025.
“When there were issues where, you know, Speaker Tate didn’t have the votes, you know, they’d have to come to me and we’d try to work on it. Now, I’d say that we’ll have additional leverage now,” Hall said.
“Before, Speaker Tate could just put [bills] up and try to grind us down, right? Now, you know, I’ll put it up when we’re ready to vote, right? And when the Republicans are ready and there’s a bipartisan deal, then we’ll put it up to vote. And so that’s going to kind of flip the dynamic. And so I expect the Democrats will come with their priorities, and I’ll come with my priorities and when there’s agreement then we’ll move bills,” Hall said.
In their first year with control of the House and Senate, Democrats made short work of a number of pent-up priorities, repealing GOP former Gov. Rick Snyder’s right to work laws, advancing gun safety legislation, eliminating the state’s 1931 ban on abortion and expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
When looking at potential policy avenues for the upcoming legislative term, Hall pointed to a permanent funding solution for roads and reexamining state spending alongside the education plan Republicans introduced earlier this year.
This plan includes expanding dual enrollment to include trade schools, calling for the state Department of Education to recommend research-backed curricula proven to support student understanding, and exploring alternatives to the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP)and spreading testing throughout the year.
“When we put together that education plan, what I said to our team was, let’s not try to just repeal everything that Gov. Whitmer did, right? She’s not going to agree to that. Let’s instead come up with a plan that we think has an actual chance of passing,” said Hall, who also called for a simpler mechanism in assessing Michigan’s schools.
Hall also cast House Republicans’ “Mission for Michigan” plans as a guiding light for the caucus.
“As we’re working forward in the House, where there’s alignment with the Mission for Michigan that we’ve laid out, you know, we’re going to make a lot of progress, right? Where there’s not alignment, you know, it’s gonna be harder, right? Like I said, we’ll send our bills, they send their bills, you know, we’ll do our best to negotiate with them,” Hall said.
The plan is made up of 10 goals, each with proposals on how to achieve them. Those goals include making Michigan more affordable; preparing all kids for the future; demanding accountable and effective government; building safer communities for stronger families; unleashing affordable and reliable clean energy; attracting high-paying careers for the future; strengthening and empowering Michigan communities, prioritizing mental health, addiction and healthcare access; growing our economy and securing Michigan’s future for all generations.
While Republicans have laid down the groundwork for 2025, Democrats are looking to regroup and reorganize as they chart their path toward the 2026 election cycle.
In speaking with reporters, Puri stressed the importance of bringing unity to the House Democratic Caucus, earlier saying he’d like to uplift the voice of each of the caucus’s 52 members.
“Unfortunately, with the way the institution is set up, sometimes there’s not enough for everybody to feel like they have a place where they’re feeling completely included,” Puri said, explaining he’d like to re-envision the makeup of the caucus and how decisions are made by empowering more members to help with those decisions, alongside keeping a holistic view of all 52 members and the districts they represent.
“The reality is, is that all 52 members of this Democratic caucus want the Democrats to succeed, and so we need to have a shared vision, and you do that by making sure that everyone’s voices are being uplifted and there’s a vision that is collectively and holistically embodying the thoughts of all 52 members,” Puri said.
However, much of that plan has yet to be determined, Puri said, noting that he’s leaned into his background in the corporate sector and his openness to working with organizational structure experts to find a structure where all members feel empowered.
Puri also emphasized his commitment to working alongside Minority Floor Leader-elect John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) to ensure Democrats reclaim their majority in the House in 2026.
While Puri credited Democrats losses to President-elect Donald Trump’s power in pulling in Republican votes down the ticket, he said Democrats will reassess their messaging.
“What we do in Michigan is not unique around the country. You know, every two years, many chambers are up for reelection, and so there are a lot of brilliant minds out there with ideas that I think that could really help us, and I look forward to tapping into some of that potential that’s out there that could help Michigan get that dem trifecta back,” Puri said.
While the role of minority leader is traditionally to serve as a roadblock for the minority party, Puri said this creates a bit of a paradox with Democrats in control of the Senate and a Democrat in the governor’s seat. Instead the Democratic minority will need to act as a bridge to ensure bills coming out of the House meet the needs of the Senate and the governor.
“We are going to make every attempt to work in a bipartisan manner and reach across the aisle. I believe Floor Leader Fitzgerald and myself have both demonstrated that in our time here, that we are willing to reach across the aisle and do and be productive for the needs of Michiganders all over the state of all political persuasions. And so that commitment will continue,” Puri said.
“We just lost majority, but we learned a thing or two the last two years. It’s not as easy as people think to get 56 votes in your own party. And so there’s often, there’s going to be times when the other side might not be able to get those 56 votes,” Puri said. “The only other option is to work with the minority party. We’re sitting here. We’re willing to be partners. We just want to see pragmatic legislation come out in this chamber.”
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