LANSING, Mich. — Democrats swept the statewide races for Michigan State University trustees and Wayne State University governors, locking in new eight-year terms that begin in early 2027.
MSU Board Chair Brianna Scott of Muskegon and Trustee Kelly Tebay Zemke of Detroit, both Democrats first seated in 2019, beat Republicans Julie Maday of Novi and former Sen. Roger Victory of Hudsonville. With most ballots in, Scott held about 26.7% of the statewide share and Tebay Zemke about 25.6%, while Maday and Victory each sat near 22%.
At Wayne State, civil-rights lawyer Shereef Akeel of Troy and labor lawyer Richard Mack, both Democrats and WSU alumni, took the two open Board of Governors seats over Republicans Andy Anuzis and Christa Murphy. They succeed Chair Bryan Barnhill and Anil Kumar, who are leaving when their terms end in December. The new governors are due to take the oath at the Jan. 29, 2027, meeting.
MSU trustees hire and oversee the president and set big finance and policy calls, with two seats on the ballot every other year in partisan statewide races. Scott has stressed holding down tuition and housing costs and keeping clearer lines between board oversight and campus management. Tebay Zemke wants to grow Spartan Advantage, which pays in-state tuition for eligible low-income undergraduates, so it also helps with room and board.
Akeel pushed more aid, research dollars and civil-rights protections. Mack backed smaller classes, fair pay for faculty and staff, and a larger Labor@Wayne program. The MSU winners begin their new terms on New Years Day.
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