Flint, MICH — Write-in candidate LaShawn Johnson is claiming victory after a much-contested race for the Third Ward Flint City Council seat.
After meeting on Aug. 6, 2025, the Genesee County Board of Canvassers officially credited Johnson with 322 votes from the Aug. 5 special election to fill the Flint City Council seat left vacant by the passing of Quincy Murphy.
Out of 328 write-in ballots cast for Johnson, the Genesee County Board of Canvassers only threw out six.
“I only go where God leads me,” Johnson said. “And God led me here.”
Johnson came in third place with 162 votes during the May 6 primary, with candidates Beverly Biggs-Leavy and A.C. Dumas tying at 165 votes each. Johnson, who was already serving as Third Ward ambassador, decided to run as a write-in and continued her campaign for the seat. A fourth candidate, Richard Jones, came in last with 21 votes.
But on Tuesday, she garnered more votes as a write-in than she did during the general election, beating her closest opponent by just shy of 100 votes.
According to unofficial results, Biggs-Leavy had 225 votes, coming in second, and A.C. Dumas came in third with 192 votes.
“This was remarkable because I had to work 10 times harder as a write-in candidate,” Johnson said. “This was not an easy election. As we move forward, I hope we don’t waste valuable time and energy chasing false narratives about this election. ”
Genesee County Clerk Dominque Clemons said there are still outstanding ballots, including military or overseas voters whose ballots were postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, but he doubts if they would change the results of the election.
“I will say, there is only a handful of ballots that were issued that would fall into one of those two categories, and not enough to change the outcome at this point.”
The seat was left vacant after Councilman Quincy Murphy’s death in September 2024. Murphy had represented the ward through November 2026 before his passing. The council did not appoint a successor, leaving the Third Ward seat empty for nearly a year.
“I feel that the Third Ward has been underserved since we lost the late Quincy Murphy,” Johnson said. “He did a great job. I want to pick up the baton and keep running with it and keep making great things happen.”
Johnson said she plans to work on eliminating blight, decreasing crime and improving public safety.
“I just want to do what’s best for the Third Ward and the City of Flint and serve the residents,” Johnson said.
The Board will officially certify the election on Aug. 13.