Michigan's 5th Senate district is one of 38 districts in the Michigan Senate. It has been represented by Democrat Dayna Polehanki since 2023, following her primary defeat of fellow Democrat Betty Jean Alexander.
Geography District 5 encompasses part of Wayne County.
2011 Apportionment Plan District 5, as dictated by the 2011 Apportionment Plan, was based in central Wayne County, covering parts of western Detroit as well as the surrounding communities of Dearborn Heights, Garden City, Inkster, and Redford.
The district was largely located within Michigan's 13th congressional district, also extending into the 12th and 14th districts. It overlapped with the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 13th districts of the Michigan House of Representatives.
List of senators Senator Party Dates Residence Notes Charles C. Hascall Democratic 1835–1836 Mount Clemens Resigned. John Stockton Democratic 1835–1836 Mount Clemens Ebenezer Raynale Democratic 1835–1837 Franklin John Clark Democratic 1835–1838 China Randolph Manning Democratic 1837 Pontiac Jacob Summers Democratic 1837–1838 Utica John Bartow Democratic 1838 Flint Elijah F. Cook Democratic 1838 Farmington James Kingsley Democratic 1839 Ann Arbor Olney Hawkins Whig 1839–1840 Ann Arbor Townsend E. Gidley Whig 1839–1841 Jackson County James M. Edmunds Whig 1840–1841 Ypsilanti Edward L. Fuller Whig 1841 Ann Arbor David E. Deming Whig 1842 Kalamazoo Digby V. Bell Democratic 1842–1843 Ada George R. Redfield Democratic 1842–1844 Adamsville Elected in 1842 to fill a vacancy left by John S. Barry's election as governor. Lewis F. Starkey Democratic 1843–1844 Kalamazoo William A. Richmond Democratic 1844–1845 Grand Rapids Joseph S. Chipman Democratic 1845–1846 Niles Flavius J. Littlejohn Democratic 1845–1846Allegan Rix Robinson Democratic 1846 Ada Loren Maynard Democratic 1847 Marengo Nathaniel A. Balch Democratic 1847–1848 Kalamazoo Campbell Waldo Democratic 1848–1849 Albion David S. Walbridge Whig 1849–1850 Kalamazoo Charles Dickey Whig 1850–1852 Marshall George Thomas Whig 1851–1852 Yorkville The 1850 Michigan Constitution takes effect, changing the district from a multi-member district to a single-member district. David A. Wright Democratic 1853–1854 Oakland County Rowland E. Trowbridge Republican 1857–1860 Birmingham Byron G. Stout Democratic 1861–1862 Oakland County Charles V. Babcock Democratic 1863–1864 Southfield Loren Ludlow Treat Democratic 1865–1866 Oxford Charles Draper Republican 1867–1868 Pontiac P. Dean Warner Republican 1869–1870 Farmington Layman B. Price Unknown 1871–1872 Lakeville John J. Sumner Republican 1873–1874 Bedford Township Heman J. Redfield Democratic 1875–1878 Monroe Harry A. Conant Republican 1879–1880 Monroe John Strong Jr. Democratic 1881–1884 South Rockwood Christian Hertzler Democratic 1885–1886 Monroe County Elected on a fusion ticket. George Howell Republican 1887–1888 Tecumseh Arthur Dodge Gilmore Republican 1889–1890 Blissfield George B. Horton Republican 1891 Lenawee County Lost seat after election challenge. James H. Morrow Democratic 1891–1894 Adrian Edwin Eaton Republican 1895–1896 Hudson William Jibb Republican 1897–1898 Maybee James W. Helme Jr. Democratic 1899–1902 Adrian Simeon Van Akin Republican 1903–1906 Ida Fred B. Kline Republican 1907–1908 Addison George G. Scott Republican 1909–1918 Wayne County Fred C. Rowe Republican 1919–1920 Detroit Oscar A. Riopelle Republican 1921–1924 Detroit Ari H. Woodruff Republican 1925–1926 Wayne County George M. Condon Republican 1927–1930 Detroit Clarence J. Dacey Republican 1931–1932 Detroit Lee A. Gorman Democratic 1933–1936 Detroit William M. Bradley Democratic 1937–1940 Detroit Charles S. Blondy Democratic 1941–1954 Detroit Stanley J. Novak Democratic 1955–1964 Detroit Bernard F. O'Brien Jr. Democratic 1965–1966 Detroit Arthur Cartwright Democratic 1967–1978 Detroit Resigned. Jackie Vaughn III Democratic 1978–1982 Detroit Michael J. O'Brien Jr. Democratic 1983–1998 Detroit Burton Leland Democratic 1999–2006 Detroit Tupac A. Hunter Democratic 2007–2014 Detroit David Knezek Democratic 2015–2018 Dearborn Heights Betty Jean Alexander Democratic 2019–2022 Detroit Dayna Polehanki Democratic 2023–present Livonia
Recent election results 2022
2018
2014
Federal and statewide results Year Office Results 2020 President Biden 77.4 – 21.3% 2018 Senate Stabenow 78.7 – 19.3% Governor Whitmer 79.7 – 17.9% 2016 President Clinton 76.1 – 20.7% 2014 Senate Peters 81.1 – 15.9% Governor Schauer 75.3 – 23.2% 2012 President Obama 81.1 – 18.3% Senate Stabenow 83.2 – 14.1%
Historical district boundaries
Map Description Apportionment Plan Notes Wayne County (part) Detroit (part) Ecorse River Rouge 1964 Apportionment Plan Wayne County (part) Detroit (part) 1972 Apportionment Plan Wayne County (part) Detroit (part) 1982 Apportionment Plan Wayne County (part) Detroit (part) 1992 Apportionment Plan Wayne County (part) Dearborn Heights Detroit (part) Inkster 2001 Apportionment Plan Wayne County (part) Dearborn Heights Detroit (part) Garden City Inkster Redford Township 2011 Apportionment Plan
References