Voters in Michigan's 90th District have elected Lynn Afendoulis as their next state representative, sending the Rockford Republican back to Lansing after a one-term absence. The Associated Press called the race for Afendoulis at 12:55 a.m. Wednesday, with unofficial results showing her well ahead of Democrat Rachel Crowther in a contest to replace a departing GOP incumbent.
According to the Associated Press, Afendoulis had received 24,791 votes to Crowther's 18,606 with 96% of votes counted. Those figures, based on unofficial results from local clerk offices released Tuesday evening, were reported by MLive in coverage of the race written by Justin P. Hicks. Michigan Public, covering results statewide, cautioned that reported vote totals were preliminary until the AP called a winner, according to michiganpublic.org.
Afendoulis, 67, is a lifelong Kent County resident who retired after a career in business, media and community leadership, per the MLive report. She previously served one term in the state House in 2019 and 2020, during which she chaired the Committee on Tax Policy. She will fill the seat vacated by Rep. Bryan Posthumus, who declined to seek a fourth term.
Who Afendoulis Beat to Get Here
Crowther, 45, is a co-owner and yoga instructor at Aptitude Fitness + Yoga and currently serves as a Courtland Township trustee. Her campaign website and LinkedIn describe her as a longtime community volunteer, the pre-election MLive profile of the race noted. The outlet's October preview of the matchup, which first laid out both candidates' backgrounds, reported that mlive.com had identified Crowther and Afendoulis as the two candidates vying for the open seat weeks before Election Day.
Afendoulis won a four-person Republican primary in August to advance to the general election, while Crowther ran unopposed as a Democrat, the same report said. A separate MLive election guide covering the broader Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties ballot likewise confirmed that “Democrat Rachel Crowther faces Republican Lynn Afendoulis for Michigan's 90th House District seat.”
A District Spanning Rockford and Surrounding Townships
The 90th District includes the city of Rockford and the townships of Sparta, Alpine, Algoma, Courtland, Cannon, Grattan and Vergennes, plus parts of Tyrone and Plainfield. The seat was held by House Majority Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, who chose not to run for a fourth term, opening the race to a new field of candidates.
Afendoulis is set to take office in January 2027 and will serve a two-year term in the state House. Under state law, local boards of canvassers have two weeks to certify election results, while the state-level Board of Canvassers has 20 days after Election Day to finalize them.
Part of a Statewide Vote on All 110 House Seats
The 90th District contest was one of 110 Michigan House races decided during Tuesday's general election. Heading into Election Day, Republicans held a 58-52 edge in the chamber, according to 13 ON YOUR SIDE, which also reported that 56 seats were needed to control the chamber.
