KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — While the country was following last week’s presidential election, Republicans regained control of the Michigan House of Representatives, ending Democrats’ two-year dominance of power in Lansing.

Democrats won control of the governor’s office, the state Senate and the state House in 2022. It was the first time the party had such dominance in 40 years. But with one election cycle, that changed. Republicans targeted and won enough seats to reclaim the majority.

State Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland, has been tapped to be the next speaker of the House. He said it was a full-court press for Michigan Republicans flip the lower chamber.

“We have to engage Republican donors and small businesspeople and help them understand why the Michigan House is so important,” Hall told News 8 last week. “Just on example, you know the Legislature decides the election laws for the state, right? And you saw Democrats changing all kinds of election laws the last two years to try to give their candidates an advantage. Fortunately we swamped the vote, right? Trump voters came out and won overwhelmingly to make up for all these election law changes that Democrats did.”

Hall is expected to take on the speaker’s role in January when the new members are sworn in and his party officially takes control.

Democrats still occupy the governor’s office and the majority in the Senate, meaning a divided state government for at least the next two years, when both legislative chambers and the executive office will be up for grabs.