Democrats are projected to win majorities in the Michigan state House of Representatives and Senate in Tuesdays elections, after fairer maps created by a new independent redistricting commission put them on track to flip both chambers of a legislature they havent simultaneously controlled for nearly four decades.

Coupled with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s reelection win, Democrats will have trifecta control of Michigan for the first time since 1984.

The results of the races are not yet final as of Wednesday afternoon. But Michigan Democrats claimed victory in both chambers and Republican leaders acknowledged defeat, the Detroit Free Press reported .

Republicans have held the majority in the Michigan state Senate since 1984 and the state House since 2011. Over the last decade, the GOP has used its power to aggressively gerrymander legislative maps and essentially guarantee perpetual dominance, despite Michigans status as an evenly divided swing state.

In 2018, however, Michigan voters approved a ballot referendum that created an independent redistricting panel to oversee the process. That change resulted in maps in 2021 that were considerably fairer than their predecessors and, according to projections, likely to produce a legislature that closely mirrored the overall statewide vote count.

The combination of fairer maps, a strong top of the ticket led by Whitmer and the emergence of abortion rights as a major issue turned Michigan into one of the countrys biggest legislative battlegrounds fueling Democratic hopes of a flip even in a year that seemed destined to favor Republicans.

For the first time in a very long time, I feel like were playing on an even playing field, state Sen. Curtis Hertel (D) told HuffPost in August. Weve been playing a rigged game for three decades here in Michigan, and finally for the first time, its not rigged. We have maps that are even.

Republicans entered Tuesday with a 22-16 majority in the state Senate and a 56-53 hold on the state House. Vote counting has continued into Wednesday, but Democrats are projected to win a 56-54 majority in the state House, according to news outlet Michigan Independent Research Service .

They are projected to win at least a 20-18 majority in the state Senate, MIRS reported. Gongwer, another outlet that covers Michigan politics, also projected Democrats would take control of the state Senate.

They held all three major statewide offices, with Whitmer defeating Republican Tudor Dixon in the governors race while Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel each won reelection.

The people of Michigan have spoken, and however narrowly, have chosen Democrats to control the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) said Wednesday, according to the Free Press . While not the outcome I was hoping for, I offer my congratulations to my Democratic colleagues. We will do our part for a smooth transition.

GOP House Speaker Jason Wentworth also acknowledged that Democrats had won the majority, the paper reported.

With their new majorities, Michigan Democrats aim to advance legislation on key issues that Republicans have blocked in recent years, including new gun control measures and expanded voting rights. Hertel told HuffPost that Democrats would also seek to roll back the states anti-union right-to-work law, which Republicans used their legislative majorities to implement in 2012.