Scott, Zemke Win Reelection to MSU Board
Two Democratic incumbents retained their seats on the eight-member Michigan State University Board of Trustees, defeating two Republican challengers.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Brianna Scott and Kelly Tebay Zemke won reelection to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, receiving 26.7% and 25.5% of the vote. Republican challengers Julie Maday and Roger Victory each received 22.0%.
Why it matters
The board has general supervision of the university and controls how the institution spends its funds, so the outcome determines who continues to oversee those decisions. Scott, the current board chair, and Zemke were first elected in 2018 and retain their seats.
Scott won with 26.7% of the vote and Zemke with 25.5%, while Maday and Victory each received 22.0%. The eight-member board sets the university's spending direction, and the extraction does not report total votes cast.
The players
Michigan State University Board of Trustees
The eight-member board has general supervision of Michigan State University and controls how the institution spends its funds.
Brianna Scott
Scott is the current board chair of Michigan State University's Board of Trustees, first elected in 2018, and practices law with a firm in Muskegon.
Kelly Tebay Zemke
Zemke was first elected to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees in 2018 and works at The Henry Ford in Dearborn.
Roger Victory
Victory is a Republican who represents Michigan's 31st Senate District, which covers parts of Ottawa and Allegan counties, and is term-limited this year.
The details
Scott and Zemke, both Democratic incumbents, defeated Republican challengers Julie Maday and Roger Victory in the race for seats on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Victory, who represents Michigan's 31st Senate District and has served in the Senate since 2018, is term-limited this year.
Timeline
2018: Scott and Zemke were first elected to the board.
2018: Victory began his Senate service.
This year: Victory is term-limited.
November 4, 2026: Election results for the board seats were reported.
Political Context
Roger Victory is term-limited this year under Michigan's Senate term limits, which ends his service in the 31st Senate District he has represented since 2018. His Republican board challenge fell short, with both challengers receiving 22.0% of the vote against Democratic incumbents.
For Michigan State University, the outcome keeps two experienced trustees, including the current chair, on the board that directs university spending. Voters in the 31st Senate District will see a new state senator when Victory's term-limited tenure ends.
The takeaway
Board races with small vote shares can still decide who directs a university's budget, so checking the trustee slate before election day matters for institutional spending. Incumbents with longer tenure, such as Scott and Zemke, held their seats against a unified challenge.
Further reading
For more on the state's voting contests, see Michigan Elections.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mlive.
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