Winnie Brinks

Winnie Brinks
Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2023
Preceded byMike Shirkey
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 29th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byDave Hildenbrand
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 76th district
In office
January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2018
Preceded byRoy Schmidt
Succeeded byRachel Hood
Personal details
BornWinnie Theresa De Vries
(1968-02-17) February 17, 1968 (age 58)
Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Steve Brinks
​
(m. 1992)​
Children3
EducationCalvin College (BA)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Winnie Theresa Brinks (born Winnie Theresa De Vries on February 17, 1968) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Michigan Senate since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Brinks assumed office as Majority Leader of the Senate on January 1, 2023; she is the first woman to ever hold the office, and the first Democrat to do so since William Faust left office in 1984. Brinks previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018, worked as an executive at a non-profit before seeking office. In the House, she served on the Workforce and Talent Development, Education, Health Policy, and Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committees. She also serves as chair of the Progressive Women's Caucus, a non-profit organization that addresses concerns about women's health, pay equity, economic security and gender violence.

She was selected as gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson's running mate in 2026.

Education and early career

Brinks earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Calvin College. For several years she was Executive Director of One Way House Inc., a residential facility for non-violent female offenders. She worked as a caseworker at The Source, an employee support organization.

Political career

Brinks was recruited to run for office after Roy Schmidt, who had previously been elected to the Michigan House as a Democrat, switched to the Republican Party at the deadline to file for re-election, leaving no legitimate Democratic candidate on the primary ballot. Brinks ran in the primary as a write-in candidate, exceeding the 1,000 votes required to win the Democratic nomination. She then defeated Schmidt in the November general election. In 2014, she was re-elected, defeating Republican challenger Donijo DeJonge, and in 2016 she defeated Republican challenger Casey J. O'Neill.

Due to term limits, Brinks was unable to run for re-election in 2018, and instead ran successfully for the 29th district of the Michigan Senate. Brinks defeated fellow state representative Chris Afendoulis, a Republican, and Libertarian and Working Class Party candidates. She succeeded Dave Hildenbrand, also a Republican, who was required by term limits to vacate the seat. Upon taking office, she became the whip of the Democratic caucus, a leadership role she held through 2022.

Following the 2022 Michigan Senate election, where the Democratic Party won control of the State Senate, Brinks was chosen as the majority leader of the Michigan Senate Democrats. Brinks is the first female majority leader of the State Senate.

On August 19, 2026, Brinks was selected by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson as her running mate.

Political positions

As Senate majority leader, Brinks voted for the repeal of Michigan's right-to-work law, stating: "We've talked a lot about bringing good job creators here to our state. But we haven't talked nearly enough about how we’re going to attract and keep workers and their families." In 2023, Brinks voted to expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity continuing a long history of support for the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2025, when the Michigan House passed a resolution calling for Michigan High School Athletic Association to ban transgender girls from girls' sports, Brinks stated of the Democratic-controlled Senate: "We will not be attacking kids. We will not be taking this up."

Personal life

Brinks is third cousins, twice removed, of Pete Hoekstra. She married Steve Brinks in 1992.

Position Election Year Votes Opponent's
votes		 Opponent
State Representative 2012 23,530 12,337 Roy Schmidt
State Representative 2014 15,804 13,822 Donijo DeJonge
State Representative 2016 27,046 18,473 Casey J. O'Neill
State Senator 2018 70,715 50,225 Chris Afendoulis
State Senator 2022 59,407 39,115 Tommy Brann

References

  1. ↑ "Owen Marten De Vries July 29, 2021". www.hawthornefh.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Michigan Manual 2015-2016" (PDF). State of Michigan. p. 178. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Michigan State Sen. Winnie Brinks - Biography". legistorm.com. 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Michigan's Newest Legislative Members". Michigan Capitol Confidential. January 14, 2013. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Legislative members of the Progressive Women's Caucus". 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Reynolds, Jennnifer (2014). "Rep. Winnie Brinks: Sharing Her Voice, Listening to Others". West Michigan Woman Magazine.
  7. ↑ "Our Mission". The Source. 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Angie (December 8, 2012). "Winnie Brinks takes oath of office as Michigan's 76th District State Representative". MLive. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "2012 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Department of State. September 28, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "2014 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Department of State. September 28, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  11. 1 2 "2016 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Department of State. November 28, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018". mielections.us. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  13. ↑ "State Senator Winnie Brinks" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ Van Gilder, Rachel (November 10, 2022). "Brinks chosen as first female state Senate majority leader". WOODTV. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  15. ↑ Nichols, Anna Liz (October 11, 2023). "Don't underestimate the 'nice girls'". Michigan Advance. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Jocelyn Benson picks Grand Rapids' Winnie Brinks as running mate". WOOD-TV. August 19, 2026. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  17. ↑ Hendrickson, Clara (March 14, 2023). "Michigan Senate Democrats pass bills repealing right-to-work law". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  18. ↑ Lobo, Arpan (March 1, 2023). "Michigan Senate passes historic bill to protect LGBTQ rights". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  19. ↑ Hendrickson, Clara; Kovanis, Georgea. "LGBTQ+ advocates call 8 Democratic votes on transgender sports a betrayal". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Today marks 31 years with Steven M. Brinks! 💖💖💖". facebook.com.
  21. ↑ "2022 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Voter Information Center. November 8, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2025.