2026 · Governor

Michigan governor election

Election Day: November 3, 2026. Meet the published candidates, compare reported surveys and make your voting plan.

Make your voting plan

Michigan

Who is on the ballot?

The state’s certified candidate list is not yet loaded here. Check the official election list ↗

Your election deadlines

Check the current election dates on your state’s official website.

Official deadlines ↗
POLLING · SURVEYS, NOT PREDICTIONS

What do the polls say?

18 survey records

Individual surveys of 2026 contests, including earlier cycle history from 2025. Matchups and populations stay separate; older or hypothetical matchups do not establish who is on the current ballot.

Simple average, not a forecast

Each pollster’s latest general-election survey ending within the last 30 days, with equal weight. Exact matchups and voter populations stay separate. Percentages describe reported support, not a chance of winning.

Likely voters · 4 polls

Sep 10, 2026–Sep 28, 2026 · Lead between the two highest answers: 7.3 percentage points

Reported answerAverage support
Jocelyn Benson50.5%
John James43.3%
Included surveys & calculation

Add each answer’s reported support across these 4 surveys and divide by 4. No house effects, sample weights, undecided allocation or error band is applied. Incomplete numeric matchups are excluded from this calculation but remain in the survey history. Full methodology →

Likely voters · 3 polls

Sep 12, 2026–Sep 21, 2026 · Lead between the two highest answers: 10.2 percentage points

Reported answerAverage support
Jocelyn Benson48.2%
John James38.0%
Anthony Hudson1.9%
Douglas Campbell1.2%
Donna Brandenburg0.2%
Included surveys & calculation

Add each answer’s reported support across these 3 surveys and divide by 3. No house effects, sample weights, undecided allocation or error band is applied. Incomplete numeric matchups are excluded from this calculation but remain in the survey history. Full methodology →

Hover or tap a date to see the survey and source.

Polling history for the selected matchup10 survey observations. Vertical scale: reported support from 0 to 60 percent. Select a survey date to read its source. Arrow keys move between dates. Exact figures and source links follow in the survey reports.0%15%30%45%60%Jocelyn Benson: 54% · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research · Sep 28, 2026 · 1,028 people surveyed · https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-michigan-voters-split-between-el-sayed-rogersJocelyn Benson: 47% · co/efficient · Sep 23, 2026 · 843 people surveyed · https://battlegrounds.coefficient.org/mi/Jocelyn Benson: 48% · The New York Times/Siena University · Sep 22, 2026 · 605 people surveyed · https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/09/25/polls/times-siena-poll-mi-crosstabs.htmlJocelyn Benson: 53% · The Washington Post/George Mason University School of Policy and Government · Sep 14, 2026 · 803 people surveyed · https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/08fa9b5e-43ac-456c-a706-4c33ec6506dc.pdfJocelyn Benson: 45% · EPIC-MRA · Aug 28, 2026 · 600 people surveyed · https://drive.google.com/file/d/1flmzB5xpdJ6Noa-3hAbms0vBml6KwAxy/view?usp=sharingJocelyn Benson: 52% · Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov · Aug 20, 2026 · 779 people surveyed · https://ippsr.msu.edu/news/msu-poll-shows-democrats-lead-republicans-coalesce-behind-rogersJocelyn Benson: 49% · Fabrizio, Lee & Associates/Impact Research · Aug 11, 2026 · 877 people surveyed · https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/voter-research/politics/2026-midterm-election-poll-michigan/Jocelyn Benson: 46% · Mitchell Research & Communications · Jul 29, 2026 · 672 people surveyed · https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f14ae6fb2a20e01e9c6d608/t/6a6d26262f442f133d15fa49/1785538087149/MITCHELL+MI+Poll+Nov+Electio+Press+Release+7-31-2026+305PM_A.pdfJocelyn Benson: 43.7% · Glengariff Group, Inc. · Jul 24, 2026 · 600 people surveyed · https://mea.org/latest-statewide-poll-7-2026/Jocelyn Benson: 49% · TIPP Insights · May 23, 2026 · 1,163 people surveyed · https://tippinsights.com/league-of-american-workers-survey-michiganJohn James: 45% · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research · Sep 28, 2026 · 1,028 people surveyed · https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-michigan-voters-split-between-el-sayed-rogersJohn James: 44% · co/efficient · Sep 23, 2026 · 843 people surveyed · https://battlegrounds.coefficient.org/mi/John James: 43% · The New York Times/Siena University · Sep 22, 2026 · 605 people surveyed · https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/09/25/polls/times-siena-poll-mi-crosstabs.htmlJohn James: 41% · The Washington Post/George Mason University School of Policy and Government · Sep 14, 2026 · 803 people surveyed · https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/08fa9b5e-43ac-456c-a706-4c33ec6506dc.pdfJohn James: 41% · EPIC-MRA · Aug 28, 2026 · 600 people surveyed · https://drive.google.com/file/d/1flmzB5xpdJ6Noa-3hAbms0vBml6KwAxy/view?usp=sharingJohn James: 43% · Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov · Aug 20, 2026 · 779 people surveyed · https://ippsr.msu.edu/news/msu-poll-shows-democrats-lead-republicans-coalesce-behind-rogersJohn James: 44% · Fabrizio, Lee & Associates/Impact Research · Aug 11, 2026 · 877 people surveyed · https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/voter-research/politics/2026-midterm-election-poll-michigan/John James: 44% · Mitchell Research & Communications · Jul 29, 2026 · 672 people surveyed · https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f14ae6fb2a20e01e9c6d608/t/6a6d26262f442f133d15fa49/1785538087149/MITCHELL+MI+Poll+Nov+Electio+Press+Release+7-31-2026+305PM_A.pdfJohn James: 38.7% · Glengariff Group, Inc. · Jul 24, 2026 · 600 people surveyed · https://mea.org/latest-statewide-poll-7-2026/John James: 38% · TIPP Insights · May 23, 2026 · 1,163 people surveyed · https://tippinsights.com/league-of-american-workers-survey-michiganMay 23, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Jocelyn BensonJohn James

Party colors: Republican red, Democratic blue, Independent purple. Other or unmatched affiliations are gray. Dash patterns distinguish candidates sharing a color.

Dots show reported support. Lines connect surveys over time—not an average or forecast. Pollsters can differ. Missing values and multiple surveys ending on the same date break the lines.

How to read this chart

No average, trend estimate, or win probability. Different matchups and populations are not combined. Dates mark the last day people were surveyed. The vertical scale always starts at zero; use “Full 0–100% scale” to compare charts on the same scale. The number of people surveyed is the survey sample size, not the number supporting a candidate. Select “Survey source” to inspect every report, including overlapping dots.

Individual survey reports (10)

Latest surveys · selected matchup

Individual reports. Original sources and methodology below.

Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic54%
  • John JamesRepublican45%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
1,028 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Fox News
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202bea0796a0d8
2026 Michigan

co/efficient

Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic47%
  • John JamesRepublican44%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
843 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Not supplied in this feed
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202co/08a815fe
Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic48%
  • John JamesRepublican43%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
605 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Not supplied in this feed
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202the033a69e6
Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic53%
  • John JamesRepublican41%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
803 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Not supplied in this feed
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202the9aa47f37
2026 Michigan

EPIC-MRA

Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic45%
  • John JamesRepublican41%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
600 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Not supplied in this feed
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202epid5412b4c
Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic52%
  • John JamesRepublican43%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
779 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Not supplied in this feed
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202mic5eb03b97
Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic49%
  • John JamesRepublican44%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
877 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
AARP
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202fabf0985b10
Fieldwork –
Reported support
  • Jocelyn BensonDemocratic46%
  • John JamesRepublican44%

0–100% scale · Listed alphabetically

Sample
672 people surveyed
Population
Likely voters
Survey details & methodology
Reported margin of error
Not supplied in this feed
Method
Not supplied in this feed
Sponsors
Not supplied in this feed
Pollster/sponsor partisan label
Not supplied
Internal poll
Not marked internal by provider
Added by provider
Provider ID
gov202mitb973b6eb

Labels and figures are supplied by VoteHub. A listed matchup does not establish ballot qualification or primary/general-election status unless the source explicitly says so. Unlisted responses may include undecided voters or other choices; the displayed figures are not rescaled to total 100%.

Polling compilation: VoteHub · CC BY 4.0. Election.org normalizes dates, matches races, and visualizes reported results; it does not estimate outcomes. Original survey links are attached to each report.

Saved polling snapshot in use (captured 10/2/2026, 7:57:52 AM UTC). Automatic refresh has not completed for every feed; check each survey’s field dates.

Last successful feed updates
  • Senate: 10/2/2026, 7:57:52 AM UTC · 423 survey records
  • House: 10/2/2026, 7:57:52 AM UTC · 115 survey records
  • Governor: 10/2/2026, 7:57:52 AM UTC · 297 survey records
  • National preference: 10/2/2026, 7:57:52 AM UTC · 544 survey records

An update time is when we checked the feed, not when a survey was conducted. Coverage is not exhaustive.

Follow campaign money

Governor campaigns file with their state’s campaign-finance authorities. Federal candidate totals do not describe this race.

SECRETARY OF STATE ↗

State campaign-finance sources →

No verified prediction-market match is connected for this race yet. See national House and Senate market prices →

Election inventory: National Governors Association ↗ · checked 2026-10-11. Ballot status comes from the separate state certification when present.