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2026 Michigan gubernatorial election
The 2026 Michigan gubernatorial election will be on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer is ineligible to seek re-election to a third nonconsecutive term. Primary elections will take place on August 4, 2026.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 | Column 5 | Column 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2026 | |||||
| Party |
Democratic
Republican | | | | Democratic | Republican | | | | | | | | | Democratic | Republican | | | | | | Incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer Democratic | Incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer Democratic | | | | | | Incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer Democratic | | | | | |
The 2026 Michigan gubernatorial election will be on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer is ineligible to seek re-election to a third nonconsecutive term. Primary elections will take place on August 4, 2026.
This is one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Democratic secretary of state Jocelyn Benson and Republican U.S. representative John James are the frontrunners for their respective nominations. Former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan ran as an Independent but withdrew from the race in May 2026.
Michigan is a purple state in the heart of the Great Lakes and Rust Belt which consistently elected Democrats 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.
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 a narrow 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.
In 2018, Gretchen Whitmer and her running mate Garlin Gilchrist won by 9.56%. In 2022, Whitmer and Gilchrist won by 10.53%.
The deadline for candidates to submit petitions to run for governor in the partisan primaries was Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
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Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State (2019–present)
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Chris Swanson, Genesee County Sheriff (2020–present)
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Kim Thomas, auditor
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Kevin Hogan, biochemist and Green nominee for governor in 2022
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Marni Sawicki, former mayor of Cape Coral, Florida (2013–2017)
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Garlin Gilchrist, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (2019–present) (running for Michigan Secretary of State)
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Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025), former mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020), and candidate for president in 2020
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Dan Kildee, former U.S. representative from Michigan's 8th congressional district (2013–2025)
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Mallory McMorrow, state senator from the 8th district (2019–present) (running for U.S. Senate)
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Gary Peters, U.S. senator (2015–present)
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.
| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Jocelyn Benson (D) | $5,744,202 | $2,189,133 | $3,555,069 |
| Garlin Gilchrist (D) | $1,303,043 | $1,040,279 | $262,764 |
| Marni Sawicki (D) | $15,930 | $14,605 | $1,325 |
| Chris Swanson (D) | $1,448,651 | $1,178,225 | $270,425 |
Aggregate polls
| Source of pollaggregation | Datesadministered | Datesupdated | JocelynBenson | ChrisSwanson | KimThomas | Undecided | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270toWin | April 16 – May 12, 2026 | May 12, 2026 | 60.0% | 7.0% | 5.0% | 28.0% | Benson +53.0% |
| Poll source | Date(s)administered | Samplesize | Marginof error | JocelynBenson | GarlinGilchrist | ChrisSwanson | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research | May 1–7, 2026 | 405 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 62% | – | 8% | – | 30% |
| Glengariff Group | April 17–19, 2026 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 66% | – | 8% | 3% | 23% |
| Emerson College | April 11–13, 2026 | 519 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 52% | – | 5% | 8% | 36% |
| January 12, 2026 | Gilchrist withdraws from the race to run for Michigan Secretary of State | |||||||
| Mitchell Research | November 18–21, 2025 | 261 (LV) | ± 6.1% | 48% | 12% | 5% | – | 35% |
| Rosetta Stone Communications (R) | October 23–25, 2025 | 287 (LV) | ± 5.8% | 58% | 15% | 6% | – | 21% |
| Impact Research (D) | September 30 – October 6, 2025 | 453 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 56% | 17% | 5% | – | 22% |
| Glengariff Group | May 5−8, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 59% | 7% | 8% | – | 26% |
| 65% | 10% | 5% | – | 20% | ||||
| Mitchell Research | March 13, 2025 | 303 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 46% | 13% | 11% | – | 30% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||
| Democratic | |||
| Democratic | |||
| 100.00 |
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Mike Cox, former Michigan Attorney General (2003–2011) and candidate for governor in 2010
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John James, U.S. representative from Michigan's 10th congressional district (2023–present) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020
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Perry Johnson, businessman, candidate for governor in 2022, and candidate for president in 2024
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Aric Nesbitt, Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate (2023–present) from the 20th district (2019–present)
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Ralph Rebandt, pastor and candidate for governor in 2022
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Joyce Gipson, advocate
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William Null, construction manager
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Evan Space, entrepreneur and former member of the National Guard
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Anthony Hudson, truck driver and candidate for Michigan's 8th congressional district in 2024 (switched to Libertarian convention)
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Tom Leonard, former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives (2017–2019) from the 93rd district (2013–2019), nominee for attorney general in 2018 and candidate in 2022
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Karla Wagner, political organizer (running as an Independent)
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Tudor Dixon, conservative media personality and nominee for governor in 2022
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Kevin Rinke, former car dealer and candidate for governor in 2022
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.
| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Cox (R) | $5,113,295 | $975,981 | $4,137,314 |
| Anthony Hudson (R) | $13,682 | $12,480 | $1,202 |
| John James (R) | $4,489,826 | $2,041,111 | $2,448,715 |
| Tom Leonard (R) | $937,024 | $227,730 | $709,293 |
| Aric Nesbitt (R) | $3,058,523 | $848,394 | $2,210,129 |
| Ralph Rebandt (R) | $972,197 | $166,825 | $805,372 |
| Karla Wagner (R) | $4,092 | $2,671 | $1,421 |
Aggregate polls
| Source of pollaggregation | Datesadministered | Datesupdated | MikeCox | JohnJames | PerryJohnson | AricNesbitt | Undecided | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race to the WH | through May 7, 2026 | May 14, 2026 | 9.6% | 30.1% | 19.7% | 5.0% | 35.6% | James +10.4% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | |||
| Republican | |||
| Republican | |||
| Republican | |||
| Republican | |||
| 100.00 |
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Anthony Hudson, truck driver and Republican candidate for Michigan's 8th congressional district in 2024 (switched from Republican primary)
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Karla Wagner, political organizer (previously ran as a Republican)
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Mike Duggan, former mayor of Detroit (2014–2026)
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.
| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Duggan (I) | $5,021,544 | $2,421,709 | $2,652,097 |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report | Lean D | May 21, 2026 |
| Inside Elections | Tossup | August 28, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Tossup | September 4, 2025 |
| Race to the WH | Tilt D | May 7, 2026 |
- 2026 United States gubernatorial elections
- 2026 Michigan elections
Partisan clients
Official campaign websites
- Jocelyn Benson (D)
- Mike Cox (R)
- Anthony Hudson (L)
- John James (R)
- Perry Johnson (R)
- Aric Nesbitt (R)
- Ralph Rebandt (R)
- Chris Swanson (D)
- Karla Wagner (I)
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