Michigan Democrats have retaken control of the state government tonight following two Metro Detroit special elections, according to the Associated Press.
Mai Xiong, a Macomb County commissioner, and Peter Herzberg, a Westland City Council member, are both set to become state representatives and return full control of the House to Democrats.
The two parties have held a tie in the state house since November when two Democrats won races for other positions, forcing them to resign from the House and slowing progress on legislation to a halt. Republicans had pushed for a formal shared power agreement, but Democrats shot down those requests.
Since November, lawmakers have alternated between time in their districts, vacations and action in legislative committees, where lawmakers have teed up dozens of bills to be tackled once the house is back in full force.
Legislators will likely be ready to hit the ground running once the two lawmakers are sworn in within the next two weeks. The House is set to return to session Wednesday.
