Polling Average
50%40%30%20%10%0%
38.1%
35.4%
33.7%
23.8%
J. Benson
J. James
T. III
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$135.9K
NOV 3, 2026
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Track how candidate odds have moved across common market windows.
source: Kalshi
New polling paints a volatile Michigan governor race, with one survey showing a three-way tie between Benson (D), James (R), and Duggan (I), while another has Benson narrowly ahead of James with Duggan at 20%. James is still leading the GOP primary field, and Benson is widely described as the Democratic front-runner. The presence of a competitive independent candidate is a key factor in the race dynamics. Mixed polling and a credible independent bid from Duggan could increase uncertainty around which party ultimately wins. Benson’s edge in one head-to-head poll may modestly support Democratic odds, but the three-way tie tempers confidence.
Jocelyn Benson’s journey to the Michigan governor’s race began with Viola Liuzzo, a mother from Detroit who set out for Selma in March of 1965 to join the fight for voting rights.
Advocates across the U.S. are hoping a growing unhappiness of wage and wealth inequalities that have increased coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic will
Michigan’s gubernatorial race is a three-way dead heat, according to a Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce poll released Monday.
Trump called her a “rogue Secretary of State” in 2020, but Benson holds a slight edge over Republican John James in a new poll.
John James is leading in the polls in the Michigan governor's race but, unlike his closest opponents, he faces a dogpile of a primary.
Before Mike Duggan, Michigan hadn’t had a viable gubernatorial candidate who wasn’t a Democrat or Republican since L. Whitney Watkins ran on the Bull Moose Party ticket in 1912.
DETROIT — Michigan could do something this fall that it hasn’t done in more than 65 years: elect a Democrat to succeed a Democratic governor
As the election year unfolds, there are several key dates that will impact who gets on the ballot and how.
Perry Johnson of Oakland County spent millions on two earlier failed bids for elected office, running for governor in 2022 and president in 2023.
MLive is seeking reader feedback on what issues Michiganders want their next governor to have the ability to address. A crowded field is battling to be on the November ballot to replace Gov. Whitmer.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.