DETROIT (AP) Michigan Democrats will lose their historic trifecta after Republicans gained a majority in the state House of Representatives.

Democrats still hold the majority in the Senate, which was not up for reelection this year, meaning that House Republicans will at most stall Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s agenda in the final two years of her term.

After Democrats obtained control in both chambers and the governors office in 2022, they passed sweeping progressive legislation from gun control to union rights.

Republicans campaigned largely on the economy and cost of living this cycle, convincing voters that Democratic control in Lansing was bad for their pocketbooks and for public safety.

The GOP only needed to gain two seats in order to obtain a majority. A handful of races remained too early to call Wednesday afternoon, but the Associated Press had called more than half of the state House districts for Republican candidates.

House Republican Leader Matt Hall said the victory reaffirms that Michigan residents want leaders who put them first, uphold the rule of law, and advocate for accountability at every level of government.

With a Republican majority, Michigan will have a stronger voice fighting for the values of hardworking families and addressing the issues that matter most safe schools and neighborhoods, an affordable economy, and a government that provides value for dollars," Hall said in a statement.

Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate said in a statement that the results are an opportunity to regroup.

Come January, we will look for every opportunity to work with our Republican colleagues in a bipartisan manner to put the people of Michigan first," he said in a statement.

Related election information Check if you're registered to vote in Michigan Find your polling location How to get an absentee ballot  View your sample ballot  More information about early voting

LANSING, Mich. (AP) Independent presidential candidate Cornel West must appear on the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan, a judge ruled about a week after West was disqualified.

Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford wrote in a decision released Saturday that Wests campaign submitted the proper number of signatures to qualify for the ballot and that presidential candidates are not required to file affidavits of identity. The ruling came after the Michigan Bureau of Elections informed West on Aug. 16 that he would not be certified because the affidavit of identity he submitted was not properly notarized.

Redford also rejected the states findings that Wests affidavit was incorrectly notarized.

West, a leftist academic, progressive activist and long-shot presidential candidate, is at the center of multiple legal and political battles as Democrats and Republicans seek to use the impacts of third-party candidates who could take support from their opponents. Republican allies in states such as Arizona have sought to keep West on the ballot amid Democratic fears he could siphon votes from Vice President Kamala Harris.

In Michigan, the state Democratic Party, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and a voter backed by a Democratic-aligned political action committee had challenged Wests candidacy.

Benson's office plans to appeal Redford's decision, a spokesperson said.

West's campaign called the opinion a decisive victory for democratic principles and voter choice.

We are grateful for this affirmation and promise to continue championing the rights of all voters, West said in a statement.

The Michigan court opinion came a day after West lost a legal challenge to appear on the Pennsylvania ballot. It also came one day after third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent campaign for the White House and endorsed Republican Donald Trump.