In April 2017, Cambensy announced her campaign to seek the Democratic nomination in the 109th District in the Michigan House of Representatives, to succeed three-term state Rep.
John Kivela, who was term-limited and was running for
state Senate. The 109th district seat became vacant on May 9, 2017, when Kivela committed suicide just hours after his second drunken driving arrest during his five years in the House. On May 18, 2017,
Governor Rick Snyder announced a special election to fill the remainder of Kivela's term, with a special primary election on August 8, and the special general election on November 7, 2017. On May 23, Cambensy announced that she would run in the special election as well. She won the Democratic primary, taking 36 percent of the vote, winning by just 133 votes in a four-person field. She then won the special general election to finish the last 14 months of Kivela's term, defeating Republican nominee Rich Rossway and
Green Party candidate Wade Roberts, receiving 57 percent of the vote. She was sworn in on November 28, 2017 and served in the state House until she was
term limited in 2022. ==Electoral history==