November 3, 2026 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Elections in Michigan |
|---|
The 2026 Michigan gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Michigan. The primary elections will take place on August 4, 2026. Incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and cannot seek election to a third term. This will be one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Joceyln Benson and Republican U.S. Representative John James (MI-10) are the frontrunners for their respective nominations. Independent Mike Duggan's bid for governor is expected to make the race more competitive after Democrats' strong victories in the 2018 and 2022 Michigan elections.
Michigan is a purple state in the heart of the Great Lakes and Rust Belt which consistently elected Democrat for president since 1992 until Republican nominee Donald Trump narrowly flipped the state in 2016. In 2020, Democratic nominee Joe Biden won Michigan by 2.78%. In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump won Michigan by 1.42% which was attributed to President Biden's unpopularity and rightward shifts in working-class and Arab American voters. [1] [2]
Since the 2018 Michigan elections, Democrats occupied all statewide offices in Michigan. Since 2022, Democrats held the narrow majority in the State Senate while Republicans held the moderate majority in the Michigan House of Representatives since 2024. According to the Morning Consult, which measures the popularity of governors across the country, Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer has a net +21 approval rating in Michigan. [3]
In 2018, Gretchen Whitmer and her running mate Garlin Gilchrist won by 9.56%. In 2022, Whitmer and Gilchrist won by 10.53%. [4] [5]
| Campaign finance reports as of October 20, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Jocelyn Benson (D) | $4,748,706 | $1,766,489 | $2,982,217 |
| Garlin Gilchrist (D) | $1,127,089 | $748,632 | $378,457 |
| Marni Sawicki (D) | $15,930 [a] | $14,605 | $1,325 |
| Chris Swanson (D) | $1,361,188 | $975,998 | $385,190 |
| Source: M ichigan Secretary of State [38] | |||
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Jocelyn Benson | Garlin Gilchrist | Chris Swanson | Undecided [b] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270toWin [39] | October 23-November 21, 2025 | January 1, 2026 | 53.0% | 13.5% | 5.5% | 28.0% | Benson +39.5% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Jocelyn Benson | Garlin Gilchrist | Chris Swanson | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research [40] | November 18–21, 2025 | 261 (LV) | ± 6.1% | 48% | 12% | 5% | 35% |
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) [41] | October 23–25, 2025 | 287 (LV) | ± 5.8% | 58% | 15% | 6% | 21% |
| Impact Research (D) [42] [A] | September 30 – October 6, 2025 | 453 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 56% | 17% | 5% | 22% |
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 59% | 7% | 8% | 26% |
| 65% [d] | 10% | 5% | 20% | ||||
| Mitchell Research [44] [C] | March 13, 2025 | 303 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 46% | 13% | 11% | 30% |
| Campaign finance reports as of October 20, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Mike Cox (R) | $5,972,075 [e] | $1,247,731 | $3,788,175 |
| Anthony Hudson (R) | $13,682 | $12,480 | $1,202 |
| John James (R) | $3,651,321 | $1,379,814 | $2,271,507 |
| Tom Leonard (R) | $937,024 [f] | $227,730 | $709,293 |
| Aric Nesbitt (R) | $2,722,725 | $616,869 | $2,105,856 |
| Ralph Rebandt (R) | $926,800 [g] | $46,344 | $880,456 |
| Karla Wagner (R) | $2,875 | $2,620 | $255 |
| Source: M ichigan Secretary of State [38] | |||
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Mike Cox | John James | Tom Leonard | Aric Nesbitt | Undecided [h] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270toWin [39] | October 23-November 21, 2025 | January 1, 2026 | 12% | 46% | 4% | 4% | 34% | James +34% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Mike Cox | John James | Tom Leonard | Aric Nesbitt | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research [40] | November 18–21, 2025 | 255 (LV) | ± 6.1% | 11% | 48% | 5% | 2% | 1% [i] | 33% |
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) [41] | October 23–25, 2025 | 252 (LV) | ± 6.2% | 13% | 44% | 3% | 6% | 9% [j] | 25% |
| Plymouth Union Public (R) [57] | October 8−9, 2025 | 200 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 7% | 41% | <5% | <5% | – | – |
| Target Insyght [45] | March 3–6, 2025 | 336 (V) | ± 5.7% | 5% | 57% | – | 13% | 1% [k] | 23% |
| National Research (R) [58] [D] | February 17–19, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 10% | 38% | – | 17% | 8% | 27% |
| OnMessage Inc.(R) [59] [E] | January 17–19, 2025 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 4% | 46% | 1% | 6% | 9% [l] | 35% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Mike Cox | Tudor Dixon | John James | Perry Johnson | Tom Leonard | Aric Nesbitt | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) [41] | October 23–25, 2025 | 252 (LV) | ± 6.2% | 10% | 33% | 25% | – | – | – | – |
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 11% | 20% | 42% | – | – | 5% | 22% |
| 10% [d] | 24% | 44% | – | – | 4% | 18% | ||||
| Mitchell Research [44] [C] | March 13, 2025 | 281 (LV) | ± 5.8% | 10% | 30% | 31% | 8% | 1% | 5% | 15% |
| Campaign finance reports as of October 20, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Mike Duggan (I) | $4,377,716 | $1,965,200 | $2,464,779 |
| Source: M ichigan Secretary of State [38] | |||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [61] | Tossup | September 11, 2025 |
| Inside Elections [62] | Tossup | August 28, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [63] | Tossup | September 4, 2025 |
| Race to the WH [64] | Tossup | September 11, 2025 |
Jocelyn Benson vs. John James vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Jocelyn Benson (D) | John James (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPIC-MRA [82] | November 6–11, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 33% | 34% | 20% | 13% |
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) [41] | October 23–25, 2025 | 637 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 34% | 39% | 18% | 9% |
| Schoen Cooperman Research (D) [83] | October 9−14, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 30% | 29% | 26% | 15% |
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 35% | 34% | 22% | 9% |
| 38% [d] | 33% | 21% | 8% | ||||
| Mitchell Research [44] [C] | March 13, 2025 | 688 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 37% | 34% | 16% | 13% |
| Target Insyght [84] | February 3–8, 2025 | 600 (V) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 30% | 21% | 7% |
Jocelyn Benson vs. Mike Cox vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Jocelyn Benson (D) | Mike Cox (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) [41] | October 23–25, 2025 | 637 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 37% | 33% | 19% | 11% |
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 35% | 27% | 25% | 13% |
| 39% [d] | 26% | 25% | 10% | ||||
| Mitchell Research [44] [C] | March 13, 2025 | 688 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 37% | 35% | 16% | 12% |
Jocelyn Benson vs. Aric Nesbitt vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Jocelyn Benson (D) | Aric Nesbitt (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 36% | 26% | 25% | 13% |
| 40% [d] | 26% | 25% | 9% |
Chris Swanson vs. John James vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Chris Swanson (D) | John James (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 30% | 35% | 25% | 10% |
| 33% [d] | 34% | 26% | 7% |
Garlin Gilchrist vs. John James vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Garlin Gilchrist (D) | John James (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 35% | 25% | 11% |
| 33% [d] | 34% | 25% | 8% |
Jocelyn Benson vs. Dick DeVos vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Jocelyn Benson (D) | Dick DeVos (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPIC-MRA [85] | February 3–8, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 31% | 31% | 23% | 15% |
Jocelyn Benson vs. Tudor Dixon vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Jocelyn Benson (D) | Tudor Dixon (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) [41] | October 23–25, 2025 | 637 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 35% | 38% | 18% | 9% |
| Glengariff Group [43] [B] | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 35% | 31% | 24% | 10% |
| 40% [d] | 31% | 23% | 6% | ||||
| Mitchell Research [44] [C] | March 13, 2025 | 688 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 38% | 36% | 16% | 10% |
Generic Democrat vs. John James vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Generic Democrat | John James (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Union Public (R) [57] | October 8−9, 2025 | 600 (LV) | – | 31% | 35% | 12% | 12% |
Generic Democrat vs. Mike Cox vs. Mike Duggan
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [c] | Margin of error | Generic Democrat | Mike Cox (R) | Mike Duggan (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Union Public (R) [57] | October 8−9, 2025 | 600 (LV) | – | 31% | 28% | 15% | 26% |
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)At the event, William Null announced he'd try to run for governor of Michigan in 2026.
Ford Motor Co. issued a statement from Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. endorsing Duggan's independent bid