Balow has 2,473,310 votes, or 24.9%. Bahar-Cook has 2,407,544 votes, or 24.2%. Republican Julie Maday has 2,404,085 votes — less than 4,000 behind Maday — which is 24.2%.

Democrat Thomas Stallworth has 2,244,679 votes, or 22.6%.

As of Thursday afternoon, an estimated 99% of the total votes had been counted.

In Ingham County, where MSU’s East Lansing campus is located, the Democrats have taken a much stronger lead. Bahar-Cook and Stallworth hold 31.7% and 29.4% of the county’s votes, respectively, while Balow and Maday hold 17.4% and 16.8%. An estimated 99% of the county’s votes are currently in.

Balow, who narrowly lost the race in 2022 and has campaigned relentlessly since, compared his current lead to a football player making it to the Super Bowl. 

"It’s just humbling and rewarding to get people who would support you with that many votes," he said.

A veteran and parent of an MSU alum, Balow campaigned on a promise to promote transparency and dialogue at the university. MSU’s self-described "ninth trustee," Balow is a constant presence at board meetings and has been a longtime advocate for bringing back MSU’s dissolved swim and dive team. 

Balow intends to have university staff reach out to everyone who signs up for public comment at board meetings to see whether MSU leaders can personally address their issues. He thinks trustees should be less secretive and hold meetings more often.

Maday, a former Novi City Council member and parent of an MSU alum, says she would offer stability and promote collaboration to the board. To ensure the university’s affordability, she wants to prevent "wasting" money on avoidable lawsuits.

Bahar-Cook, a CEO of a Lansing consulting firm, says she wants to bring the board together, increase student enrollment and lower tuition rates. The former Ingham County commissioner and MSU alum says she’ll use her political experience to encourage collaboration.

Stallworth, a longtime Detroit lawmaker, wants to make MSU more affordable and safe. An MSU alum, Stallworth says he would campaign the state government for more funding for higher education and ensure that MSU is continuing to follow recommendations for improving campus safety after the February 2023 mass shooting.

The candidates are vying for two empty seats on the board left by Dianne Byrum and Dan Kelly, whose terms are ending. Byrum isn’t seeking reelection and state Republicans didn’t renominate Kelly, who is currently the sole Republican on the overwhelmingly Democratic board. 

MSU’s board is tasked with overseeing the president and making big-picture decisions about the university’s finances and operations. Their terms last eight years, with two seats opening up every two years. The trustees are elected in statewide partisan races, and occasionally appointed by the governor if a trustees' resignation or other circumstances result in a vacated seat during a term.