Here’s where Michigan voters stand in the 2026 gubernatorial race

Michigan voters were asked in a recent poll how they felt about the 2026 gubernatorial race.

A poll conducted by WDIV/Detroit News asked voters from across the state about their opinions on various topics in the 2026 election. A portion of those questions focused on the 2026 gubernatorial election and the state of Michigan’s economy.

*Note: The survey was conducted before Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist dropped out of the gubernatorial race

Here’s the exact wording of the first question, which was asked over the phone: If the election for Congress were held today, generally speaking, would you say you would vote for the Democratic candidate or would you vote for the Republican candidate?

Here are the results:

Democratic: 41.7%

Republican: 35.6%

Don’t Know/Depends: 20.6%

Refused: 2.0%

Here’s the exact wording of the next question, which was asked over the phone: Do you think Michigan is on the right track, or would you say things are on the wrong track?

Here are the results:

Right track: 51.3%

Wrong track: 36.8%

Don’t Know/Refused: 11.9%

Participants were then asked the follow-up question: And what about the nation? Would you say the nation is on the right track or would you say the nation is on the wrong track?

Right track: 34.0%

Wrong track: 55.0%

Don’t Know/Refused: 11.1%

Here’s the exact wording of the next question, which was asked over the phone: Thinking about the upcoming election, what is the single most important issue that will influence how you vote in the November election?

Here are the results:

Fighting Trump and the Republicans/ Getting a Democrat in: 5.8 %

Fighting Whitmer and the Democrats/ Getting a Republican in: 1.7%

Jobs and the economy: 17.0 %

Inflation and cost of living: 8.7 %

Abortion and women’s rights: 4.3 %

Immigration and border control: 3.0 %

Taxes and government spending: 9.1 %

Education funding and quality: 3.3 %

Health care affordability and accessibility: 6.3 %

Civil and human rights/ Equality: 3.1 %

Fixing the roads: 1.2 %

Crime and drugs/ law enforcement: 1.7 %

Truth and accountability from candidates: 3.8 %

Preserving the constitution: 1.2 %

Electing a candidate who is for the people: 1.5 %

Electing a candidate who shares my morals and views: 1.5 %

Foreign policy and wars: 1.8 %

Bipartisan efforts/ balance of power: 0.8 %

Defending Democracy and freedom: 0.7 %

Pushing progress and change: 0.3 %

Voting rights and protections: 0.7 %

Who’s running and what they’re offering: 0.7 %

Environmental issues and preservation: 1.0 %

The data centers: 0.5 %

Don’t Know/ Refused/ Nothing: 20.6%

Name familiarity, favorability

Here’s the exact wording of the next question, which was asked over the phone: I am going to read you the names of several people you might have heard of. For each, please tell me if you have heard of that person. If you have heard of that person, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of that person.

Gretchen Whitmer

Name ID: 99.7%

Heard, favorable: 53.0%

Heard, unfavorable: 38.9%

Heard, no opinion: 7.8%

Never heard of: 0.3%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.0%

Jocelyn Benson

Name ID: 68.8%

Heard, favorable: 30.0%

Heard, unfavorable: 17.5%

Heard, no opinion: 21.3%

Never heard of: 31.0%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.2%

Garlin Gilchrist

Name ID: 44.8%

Heard, favorable: 16.3%

Heard, unfavorable: 8.4%

Heard, no opinion: 20.1%

Never heard of: 54.6%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.5%

Chris Swanson

Name ID: 29.7%

Heard, favorable: 8.4%

Heard, unfavorable: 3.3%

Heard, no opinion: 18.0%

Never heard of: 70.0%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.3%

John James

Name ID: 64.3%

Heard, favorable: 25.4%

Heard, unfavorable: 21.1%

Heard, no opinion: 17.8%

Never heard of: 35.3%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.3%

Aric Nesbitt

Name ID: 22.6%

Heard, favorable: 4.0%

Heard, unfavorable: 2.6%

Heard, no opinion: 16.0%

Never heard of: 76.4%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 1.0%

Tom Leonard

Name ID: 17.3%

Heard, favorable: 2.8%

Heard, unfavorable: 2.1%

Heard, no opinion: 12.4%

Never heard of: 81.2%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 1.5%

Mike Cox

Name ID: 49.2%

Heard, favorable: 10.6%

Heard, unfavorable: 9.9%

Heard, no opinion: 28.7%

Never heard of: 50.2%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.7%

Mike Duggan

Name ID: 71.9%

Heard, favorable: 36.0%

Heard, unfavorable: 10.2%

Heard, no opinion: 25.7%

Never heard of: 27.9%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 0.2%

Here’s the exact wording of the next question, which was asked over the phone: Do you approve or disapprove of the job being done by Gretchen Whitmer as Governor of Michigan?

Participants were then asked: Would that be strongly approve/disapprove or just somewhat approve/disapprove?

Approve: 59.6%, Disapprove: 38.2%

Strongly approve: 34.8%

Somewhat approve: 24.8%

Somewhat disapprove: 9.7%

Strongly disapprove: 28.5%

Neither/Don’t Know/Refused: 2.1%

Choosing a candidate

Participants were then asked a series of questions on who they would vote for if the election were held today. Here are the results:

Here’s the exact wording of one of the questions, which was asked over the phone: Now, I would like you to think about the Governor’s race. If the election for Governor were held today and Jocelyn Benson was the Democratic candidate, John James was the Republican candidate, and Mike Duggan was the Independent candidate, who would you vote for to be Governor of Michigan?

Benson: 32.2%

James: 33.8%

Duggan: 26.1%

Other: 0.2%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 7.8%

Here’s the exact wording of one of the questions, which was asked over the phone: If the election for Governor were held today and Jocelyn Benson was the Democratic candidate, Aric Nesbitt was the Republican candidate, and Mike Duggan was the Independent candidate, who would you vote for to be Governor of Michigan?

Benson: 35.0%

Nesbitt: 24.4%

Duggan: 31.7%

Other: 0.2%

Don’t Know/Refused: 8.7%

Here’s the exact wording of one of the questions, which was asked over the phone: If the election for Governor were held today and Jocelyn Benson was the Democratic candidate, Tom Leonard was the Republican candidate, and Mike Duggan was the Independent candidate, who would you vote for to be Governor of Michigan?

Benson: 34.3%

Leonard: 23.8%

Duggan: 33.3%

Other: 0.2%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 8.4%

Here’s the exact wording of one of the questions, which was asked over the phone: If the election for Governor were held today and Jocelyn Benson was the Democratic candidate, Mike Cox was the Republican candidate, and Mike Duggan was the Independent candidate, who would you vote for to be Governor of Michigan?

Benson: 34.2%

Cox: 27.7%

Duggan: 31.4%

Other: 0.0%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 6.8%

Here’s the exact wording of one of the questions, which was asked over the phone: If the election for Governor were held today and Jocelyn Benson was the Democratic candidate and John James was the Republican candidate, who would you vote for to be Governor of Michigan?

Benson: 46.5%

James: 44.6%

Other: 1.2%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 7.8%

Spending in Michigan

Here’s the exact wording of the question, which was asked over the phone: I am going to read you several things households spend money on. Please tell me if over the past year, you have paid more, less or about the same on that item as you did last year.

Participants were then asked: Would that be much more/less or just a little more/less?

With electricity, participants gave the following responses:

More: 57.1%, Same: 32.8%, Less: 2.0%

Much more: 30.7%

Little more: 26.4%

About the same: 32.8%

Little less: 1.7%

Much less: 0.3%

Don’t Know/ Refused: 8.1%

Poll methodology

WDIV and the Detroit News commissioned a survey of likely November 2026 general election voters within the state of Michigan. The poll was conducted by The Glengariff Group, Inc.

It was a 600-sample, live-operator telephone survey conducted from Jan. 2-6, 2026.

The margin of error is +/- 4.0%, and there is a 95% level of confidence.

Of the respondents, 16.3% were called via landline telephone, and 83.7% were called on a cellphone.

Here’s where Michigan voters stand in the 2026 gubernatorial race

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