# Michigan's 15th Senate district

Michigan's 15th Senate district is one of 38 districts in the Michigan Senate. The 15th 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 Democrat Jeff Irwin since 2023, succeeding Republican Jim Runestad.

## Geography

District 15 encompasses parts of Lenawee, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties.

### 2011 Apportionment Plan

District 15, as dictated by the 2011 Apportionment Plan, covered western Oakland County in the outer suburbs of Detroit, including the communities of Novi, West Bloomfield Township, Commerce Township, White Lake Township, Wixom, Lyon Township, South Lyon, Walled Lake, and most of Northville.
The district overlapped with Michigan's 11th and 14th congressional districts, and with the 29th, 38th, 39th, 40th, and 44th districts of the Michigan House of Representatives.

## List of senators

| Senator | Party | Dates | Residence | Notes |
| Ransom Gardner | Whig | 1853–1854 | Jonesville | |
| Alonzo Cressy | Republican | 1855–1856 | Hillsdale | |
| Asahel Brown | Republican | 1857–1860 | Coldwater | Lived in Algansee until around 1859. |
| Darius Monroe | Republican | 1861–1864 | Bronson | |
| Cyrus G. Luce | Republican | 1865–1866 | Gilead | |
| Charles W. Clisbee | Republican | 1867–1868 | Cassopolis | |
| Amos Smith | Republican | 1869–1870 | Vandalia | |
| Uzziel Putnam Jr. | Republican | 1871–1872 | Pokagon | |
| James N. Neasmith | Republican | 1873–1874 | Schoolcraft Township | |
| Thomas S. Cobb | Democratic | 1875–1876 | Kalamazoo | |
| David R. Cook | Republican | 1877–1878 | Hastings | |
| Jacob L. McPeek | Republican | 1879–1880 | Grand Ledge | |
| Lewis Durkee | Republican | 1881 | Nashville | Died in office. |
| David R. Cook | Republican | 1881–1882 | Hastings | |
| John M. Norton | Greenback | 1883–1884 | Rochester | |
| Samuel William Smith | Republican | 1885–1886 | Pontiac | |
| John E. Barringer | Democratic | 1887–1890 | Armada | Elected on a fusion ticket in 1886, backed by both the Democrats and the Greenback Party. |
| Martin Crocker | Democratic | 1891–1892 | Mount Clemens | |
| Samuel M. Wilkins | Republican | 1893–1894 | Eaton Rapids | |
| Arthur D. Hughes | Democratic | 1897–1898 | Irving | Elected on a Democratic, Populist and free silver ticket. |
| William W. Potter | Republican | 1899–1900 | Hastings | |
| Cassius L. Glasgow | Republican | 1903–1906 | Nashville | |
| Karl D. Keyes | Republican | 1907–1908 | Olivet | |
| Luren D. Dickinson | Republican | 1909–1910 | Charlotte | |
| Coleman C. Vaughan | Republican | 1911–1912 | St. Johns | |
| William M. Smith | Republican | 1913–1914 | St. Johns | |
| Elbert V. Smith | Republican | 1915–1918 | Nashville | |
| Murl H. DeFoe | Republican | 1919–1920 | Charlotte | |
| G. Elmer McArthur | Republican | 1921–1922 | Eaton Rapids | |
| George G. Hunter | Republican | 1923–1926 | St. Johns | |
| Seth Q. Pulver | Republican | 1927–1928 | Owosso | |
| Leon F. Miner | Republican | 1929–1930 | Owosso | |
| John B. Davidson | Republican | 1931–1932 | Eaton Rapids | |
| Henry C. Glasner | Democratic | 1933–1934 | Charlotte | |
| Edward W. Fehling | Republican | 1935–1938 | St. Johns | |
| Herman H. Dignan | Republican | 1939–1942 | Owosso | |
| Murl H. DeFoe | Republican | 1943–1946 | Charlotte | |
| Bion L. Bates | Republican | 1947–1950 | Ovid | |
| James M. Teahen Jr. | Republican | 1951–1954 | Owosso | |
| Donald E. Smith | Republican | 1955–1958 | Owosso | |
| John Warner Fitzgerald | Republican | 1959–1964 | Grand Ledge | |
| Sander M. Levin | Democratic | 1965–1970 | Berkley | |
| Daniel S. Cooper | Democratic | 1971–1978 | Oak Park | |
| Doug Ross | Democratic | 1979–1982 | Oak Park | |
| Jack Faxon | Democratic | 1983–1994 | Detroit | |
| David M. Honigman | Republican | 1995–1996 | West Bloomfield | Resigned due to poor health. |
| Bill Bullard Jr. | Republican | 1996–2002 | Highland Township | Also resided in Milford. |
| Nancy Cassis | Republican | 2003–2010 | Novi | |
| Mike Kowall | Republican | 2011–2018 | White Lake | |
| Jim Runestad | Republican | 2019–2022 | White Lake | |
| Jeff Irwin | Democratic | 2023–present | Ann Arbor | |

## Recent election results
### 2018

2018 Michigan Senate election, District 15 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Jim Runestad | 25,757 | 89.5 |
| | Republican | Michael Saari | 3,013 | 10.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 28,770 | 100 |
| General election |||||
| | Republican | Jim Runestad | 67,352 | 51.7 |
| | Democratic | Julia Pulver | 62,936 | 48.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 130,288 | 100 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2014

2014 Michigan Senate election, District 15 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mike Kowall (incumbent) | 11,344 | 49.8 |
| | Republican | Matt Maddock | 9,721 | 42.7 |
| | Republican | Ron Molnar | 1,707 | 7.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,722 | 100 |
| | Democratic | Michael Smith | 6,867 | 61.3 |
| | Democratic | Tom Crawford | 4,332 | 38.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 11,199 | 100 |
| General election |||||
| | Republican | Mike Kowall (incumbent) | 52,797 | 58.5 |
| | Democratic | Michael Smith | 37,489 | 41.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 90,286 | 100 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### Federal and statewide results

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2020 | President | Biden 50.7 – 48.0% |
| 2018 | Senate | Stabenow 51.0 – 47.7% |
| 2018 | Governor | Whitmer 52.2 – 45.7% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 49.8 – 45.7% |
| 2014 | Senate | Peters 50.2 – 46.1% |
| 2014 | Governor | Snyder 62.6 – 35.9% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 52.6 – 46.8% |
| 2012 | Senate | Stabenow 51.3 – 45.6% |

## Historical district boundaries

| Description | Apportionment Plan |
| Oakland County (part) Berkley Ferndale Hazel Park Huntington Woods Lathrup Village Madison Heights Oak Park Pleasant Ridge Royal Oak Township Southfield | 1964 Apportionment Plan |
| Oakland County (part) Commerce Township Farmington Farmington Township Huntington Woods Lathrup Village Lyon Township Milford Township Northville (part) Novi Novi Township Oak Park Royal Oak Township (part) Southfield South Lyon Walled Lake Wixom | 1972 Apportionment Plan |
| Oakland County (part) Farmington Farmington Hills Ferndale Huntington Woods Lathrup Village Northville Novi Novi Township Oak Park Royal Oak Township Southfield Wixom | 1982 Apportionment Plan |
| Oakland County (part) Commerce Township Farmington Farmington Hills Highland Township Lyon Township Milford Township Northville Novi Novi Township South Lyon Walled Lake West Bloomfield Township (part) Wixom | 1992 Apportionment Plan |
| Oakland County (part) Commerce Township Highland Township Holly Township Lyon Township Milford Township Northville (part) Novi Novi Township Orchard Lake Village Rose Township South Lyon Walled Lake West Bloomfield Township (part) White Lake Township Wixom | 2001 Apportionment Plan |
| Oakland County (part) Commerce Township Lyon Township Milford Township Northville Novi Novi Township Orchard Lake South Lyon Walled Lake West Bloomfield Township White Lake Township Wixom | 2011 Apportionment Plan |