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Endorses Berman
The race
One state Senate seat is at stake in Michigan's Senate District 13, for a four-year term. The seat is open: the incumbent, Rosemary Bayer (Democratic), is not on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot. The district's 2024 presidential baseline was R+1.7 (Wikipedia results summary). The confirmed general-election roster, from the Michigan Department of State candidate list, is: Ryan Berman (Republican); Sean Carlson (Democratic).
The incumbent, Rosemary Bayer (D), chose not to run for re-election, and both parties recruited top-tier candidates for the open seat (Michigan Legislative Consultants).
Ryan Berman (R), nominee. Ryan Berman is the Republican nominee on the Department of State general-election list. Record note: he is a former state representative campaigning to return to the Legislature (Michigan Legislative Consultants general-election overview).
Pros: The Republican nominee in a race against a party-line Democrat; aligned with the values this publication exists to advance. Cons: No proven flaw meeting this publication's standard was located in the compiled record; where the nominee has not previously served, the record is thin by definition — that is unproven, not a demerit. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Sean Carlson (D), nominee. Sean Carlson is the Democratic nominee on the Department of State general-election list. Record note: he is an attorney and former deputy Oakland County executive (Michigan Legislative Consultants). This nominee is listed among the candidates who took the Michigan League of Conservation Voters’ “No Utility Money” pledge for 2026 (Michigan LCV, 2026) — a campaign-finance pledge, printed as fact; it is not a break with the Democratic Party and does not bear on the Manchin test.
Pros: A willing nominee giving the district a choice on the ballot. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. In the Senate, a Democratic organizing vote is heavy: it carries chamber control and the judicial pipeline with it. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
OUR CALL
We endorse Ryan Berman (R). The Republican nominee brings a legislative record of his own (see the record note above) and no proven flaw was located in the compiled record; the Democratic nominee is a party-line vote with no Manchin-test break located — and in the Senate, that organizing vote is the heaviest one on this ballot.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Michigan Department of State, 2026 general election candidate list (November 3, 2026), as reproduced in Michigan 2026 General Election Guide, Michigan Republican Primary (state record checked October 8/15, 2026) — confirmed general-election roster, parties, filing methods — https://michiganrepublicanprimary.com/michigan-2026-general-election-guide/
- Wikipedia, "2026 Michigan Senate election" — results summary: incumbent, incumbent party, open-seat markers, 2024 presidential baseline by district — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Michigan_Senate_election
- Michigan Legislative Consultants, General Election Overview: 13th Senate District — Bayer not seeking re-election; Carlson's and Berman's backgrounds — https://mlcmi.com/general-election-overview-13th-senate-district/
- Michigan League of Conservation Voters, 2026 — “No Utility Money” pledge list — https://www.michiganlcv.org/more-candidates-for-state-house-and-senate-are-rejecting-big-utility-money/
- Record gaps: no district-level legislative voting records, campaign-finance figures, or biographies beyond the offices and facts printed above were verified for the nominees in this district at this sourcing depth; no competitiveness rating for this individual district was published in the sources consulted (chamber-level ratings only)
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
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