# Michigan's 20th Senate district

Michigan's 20th Senate district is one of 38 districts in the Michigan Senate. The 20th district was created by the 1850 Michigan Constitution, as the 1835 constitution only permitted a maximum of eight senate districts. It has been represented by Republican Aric Nesbitt since 2023, succeeding Democrat Sean McCann.

## Geography

District 20 encompasses parts of Allegan, Berrien, Kent, and Van Buren counties.

### 2011 Apportionment Plan

District 20, as dictated by the 2011 Apportionment Plan, was exactly coterminous with Kalamazoo County, including the city of Kalamazoo and the surrounding communities of Portage, Comstock Northwest, Eastwood, Westwood, Vicksburg, Kalamazoo Township, Oshtemo Township, Texas Township, Comstock Township, and Cooper Township.
The district was located entirely within Michigan's 6th congressional district, and overlapped with the 60th, 61st, 63rd, and 66th districts of the Michigan House of Representatives.

## List of senators

| Senator | Party | Dates | Residence | Notes |
| Fitz H. Stevens | Democratic | 1853–1854 | Paw Paw | |
| Lyman A. Fitch | Republican | 1855–1856 | Mattawan | |
| Lafayette W. Lovell | Republican | 1857–1858 | Climax | |
| John Parker | Republican | 1859–1860 | Portage | |
| Stephen F. Brown | Republican | 1861–1862 | Schoolcraft | |
| Elijah O. Humphrey | Republican | 1863–1864 | Kalamazoo | |
| Stephen F. Brown | Republican | 1865–1866 | Schoolcraft | |
| Albertus L. Green | Republican | 1867–1868 | Olivet | |
| George Thomas | Republican | 1869–1870 | Barry County | |
| Homer G. Barber | Republican | 1871–1872 | Vermontville | |
| Mark S. Brewer | Republican | 1873–1874 | Pontiac | |
| Charles V. Babcock | Democratic | 1875–1876 | Southfield | |
| William Jenney | Republican | 1877–1878 | Mount Clemens | |
| Joseph B. Moore | Republican | 1879–1880 | Lapeer | |
| John T. Rich | Republican | 1881 | Elba | Resigned to run for the U. S. House of Representatives. |
| William W. Andrus | Republican | 1881–1882 | Utica | |
| Alonzo T. Frisbee | Greenback | 1883–1884 | Oak Grove | |
| Henry H. Pulver | Democratic | 1885–1886 | Laingsburg | Elected on a fusion ticket in 1884, backed by both the Democrats and the Greenback Party. |
| George P. Stark | Democratic | 1887–1888 | Cascade | Elected on a fusion ticket in 1886, backed by both the Democrats and the Greenback Party. |
| Sybrant Wesselius | Republican | 1889–1890 | Grand Rapids | |
| Peter Doran | Democratic | 1891–1892 | Grand Rapids | |
| Charles H. McGinley | Republican | 1893–1894 | Minden City | |
| Joseph Moss Gaige | Republican | 1895–1896 | Croswell | |
| Matthew D. Wagner | Republican | 1897–1900 | Sand Beach | |
| Albert E. Sleeper | Republican | 1901–1904 | Lexington | |
| Bela W. Jenks | Republican | 1905–1908 | Harbor Beach | |
| William H. Aitkin | Republican | 1909–1910 | Croswell | |
| Charles G. Putney | Republican | 1911–1912 | Sandusky | |
| Frederick L. Woodworth | Republican | 1913–1916 | Caseville | |
| George B. Forrester | Republican | 1917–1922 | Deckerville | |
| Godfried Gettel | Republican | 1923–1926 | Sebewaing | |
| Philip O'Connell | Republican | 1927–1930 | McGregor | |
| Herbert P. Orr | Republican | 1931–1934 | Caro | |
| Samuel H. Pangborn | Republican | 1935–1938 | Bad Axe | |
| Leonard J. Paterson | Republican | 1939–1942 | Sandusky | |
| Audley Rawson | Republican | 1943–1946 | Cass City | |
| Edwin W. Klump | Republican | 1947–1950 | Harbor Beach | |
| Alpheus P. Decker | Republican | 1951–1954 | Deckerville | |
| Arthur A. Dehmel | Republican | 1955–1964 | Unionville | |
| Roger Johnson | Democratic | 1965–1966 | Marshall | |
| Harry A. DeMaso | Republican | 1967–1986 | Battle Creek | |
| Joe Schwarz | Republican | 1987–1994 | Battle Creek | |
| Harry Gast | Republican | 1995–2002 | St. Joseph | |
| Tom George | Republican | 2003–2010 | Texas Township | Lived in Kalamazoo until around 2009. |
| Tonya Schuitmaker | Republican | 2011–2014 | Lawton | |
| Margaret O'Brien | Republican | 2015–2018 | Portage | |
| Sean McCann | Democratic | 2019–2022 | Kalamazoo | |
| Aric Nesbitt | Republican | 2023–present | Porter Township | |

## Recent election results
### 2018

2018 Michigan Senate election, District 20 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Sean McCann | 60,528 | 53.1 |
| | Republican | Margaret O'Brien (incumbent) | 48,195 | 42.3 |
| | Libertarian | Lorence Wenke | 5,274 | 4.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 113,997 | 100 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### 2014

2014 Michigan Senate election, District 20 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Margaret O'Brien | 11,342 | 77.4 |
| | Republican | Ron Zuiderveen | 3,308 | 22.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,650 | 100 |
| General election |||||
| | Republican | Margaret O'Brien | 36,630 | 45.5 |
| | Democratic | Sean McCann | 36,571 | 45.5 |
| | Libertarian | Lorence Wenke | 7,263 | 9.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 80,464 | 100 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### Federal and statewide results

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2020 | President | Biden 58.3 – 39.6% |
| 2018 | Senate | Stabenow 57.3 – 40.3% |
| 2018 | Governor | Whitmer 58.4 – 38.5% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 53.3 – 40.5% |
| 2014 | Senate | Peters 54.1 – 40.7% |
| 2014 | Governor | Snyder 51.0 – 46.2% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 56.2 – 42.9% |
| 2012 | Senate | Stabenow 57.1 – 39.4% |

## Historical district boundaries

| Description | Apportionment Plan |
| Barry County (part) Assyria Township Baltimore Township Castleton Township Hastings Hastings Township Johnstown Township Maple Grove Township Woodland Township Branch County Calhoun County Eaton County (part) Bellevue Township Brookfield Township Carmel Township Kalamo Township Olivet Vermontville Township Walton Township Hillsdale County (part) Camden Township Reading Reading Township Woodbridge Township | 1964 Apportionment Plan |
| Barry County (part) Assyria Township Baltimore Township Barry Township Carlton Township Hastings Township Hope Township Irving Township Johnstown Township Orangeville Township Rutland Township Woodland Township Yankee Springs Township Branch County Calhoun County (part) Excluding Lee Township Hillsdale County (part) Allen Township Litchfield Township Reading Reading Township Jackson County (part) Pulaski Township Kalamazoo County (part) Charleston Township St. Joseph County (part) Burr Oak Township Colon Township Fawn River Township Leonidas Township Sturgis | 1972 Apportionment Plan |
| Calhoun County Eaton County Ingham County (part) Delhi Township | 1982 Apportionment Plan |
| Berrien County Cass County St. Joseph County (part) Burr Oak Township Colon Township Constantine Township Fabius Township Fawn River Township Florence Township Flowerfield Township Leonidas Township Lockport Township Mottville Township Nottawa Township Sherman Township Sturgis Sturgis Township Three Rivers White Pigeon Township | 1992 Apportionment Plan |
| Kalamazoo County Van Buren County (part) Antwerp Township Paw Paw Township | 2001 Apportionment Plan |
| Kalamazoo County | 2011 Apportionment Plan |