The Libertarian Party of Michigan met this month for a special state convention, where members formally nominated Ali Sledz for a vacant state Senate seat and selected the party’s delegation to the 2026 Libertarian National Convention.
The convention took place on January 17 at the H Hotel in Midland. The party announced last October that it would need to convene a special gathering to nominate a candidate for the 35th State Senate District special election, which was vacated in early 2024 when former state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet resigned to represent Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. Under state law, the convention was required to take place within the district.
As part of convention business, members formally nominated Ali Sledz to run in the special election. Sledz was previously vetted by the party’s Executive Committee in 2025, including participation in a formal interview process. She is a longtime Libertarian Party member and a former volunteer with the Gary Johnson presidential campaign before she relocated from Georgia to Michigan. Sledz is also a stay-at-home parent currently working toward a master’s degree in counseling.
The party has not publicly said how many other candidate applications, if any, were submitted for consideration at the convention. As the Libertarian nominee, Sledz will automatically appear on the May 5 ballot in the 35th District state Senate race alongside the Democratic and Republican nominees.
The party also selected its state delegation to the Libertarian National Convention, which is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids this May. Delegate calculations released by the national party late last year initially reported that the Libertarian Party of Michigan would be entitled to 35 national delegates, an increase of one seat compared to the 2024 national convention.
According to a list released following the convention, members selected 34 delegates and 50 alternate delegates, the maximum number of alternates permitted for Michigan under Libertarian Party national bylaws. As the state party’s bylaws do not specify how alternates are to be seated when a delegate position becomes vacant, any vacancies during the national convention would be filled pursuant to convention rules, which allow alternates to be selected by random drawing if necessary.
Due to the meeting being a special nominating convention, no regularly scheduled officer elections were held. Delegates did, however, address several other items of business, including a vote to fill a vacant second chair position following a leadership shift in December. Congressional caucuses were also held to fill two vacant district representative seats on the party’s state Executive Committee.
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