Democratic Party primaries in Michigan, 2026

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Democratic Party primaries, 2026

Primary Date

August 4, 2026

Federal elections

Democratic primaries for U.S. House

State party

Democratic Party of Michigan

State political party revenue

This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that will take place in Michigan on August 4, 2026.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. All candidates appear on the same ballot and a voter may only vote for candidates of one party at any primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Federal elections

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Michigan, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)

A Democratic Party primary takes place on August 4, 2026, in Michigan to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Michigan

Abdul El-Sayed (D), Rachel Howard (D), Mallory McMorrow (D), Haley Stevens (D), and Travis Zollner (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Michigan on August 4, 2026.

		Candidate
		Abdul El-Sayed
		Rachel Howard
		Mallory McMorrow
		Haley Stevens
	Submit photo	Travis Zollner

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gary Peters (D)
• Joseph Tate (D)

U.S. House

See also: United States House elections in Michigan, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primaries)

The U.S. House of Representatives elections in Michigan are scheduled on November 3, 2026. Voters will elect 13 candidates to serve in the U.S. House from each of the state's 13 U.S. House districts. The primary is August 4, 2026. The filing deadline is April 21, 2026. To see a full list of candidates in the primary in each district, click "Show more" below.

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District 1

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Callie Barr
• Kyle Blomquist
• Wayne Stiles 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 2

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Benjamin Ambrose
• Andrew Ault
• Jamie Hill
• Clyde Welford

Did not make the ballot:

• Richard Carrizales 
• Michael Lynch

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 3

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Hillary Scholten (Incumbent)

Did not make the ballot:

• Zachary Ketchum

District 4

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Richard Aaron
• Diop Harris 
• Sean McCann

Did not make the ballot:

• Jessica Swartz

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 5

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Christian Vukasovich 

Did not make the ballot:

• Jacob Vravis

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 6

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Debbie Dingell (Incumbent)
• Jason Cloutier

District 7

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Elyon Badger 
• Bridget Brink
• Josh Cowen
• William Lawrence
• Matt Maasdam
• Alexandra Prieditis
• Muhammad Salman Rais

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 8

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Kristen McDonald Rivet (Incumbent)

District 9

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Wyatt Clark
• Ray Pooley

District 10

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Tripp Adams
• Eric Chung
• Tim Greimel
• Christina Hines
• Brian Steven Jaye

Did not make the ballot:

• Alex Hawkins

District 11

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Stu Baker
• Aisha Farooqi
• Jeremy Moss
• Michelle Murphy 
• John Paul Torres
• Don Ufford 

Did not make the ballot:

• Anil Kumar

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 12

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Rashida Tlaib (Incumbent)
• Allen Downer
• Shanelle Jackson
• Byron Nolen

District 13

 Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Shri Thanedar (Incumbent)
• Shelby Campbell 
• Anthony Carbonaro
• Nazmul Hassan
• Donavan McKinney

Did not make the ballot:

• Adam Hollier

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

State elections

State Senate

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2026

Elections for the Michigan State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is August 4, 2026. The filing deadline is April 21, 2026. To see a full list of state Senate candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

House of Representatives

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2026

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is August 4, 2026. The filing deadline is April 21, 2026. To see a full list of state House candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

State executive offices

See also: Michigan state executive official elections, 2026

Twelve state executive offices are up for election in Michigan in 2026:

Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
State Board of Education (2 seats)
Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)
University of Michigan Board of Regents (2 seats)
Wayne State University Board of Governors (2 seats)

In Michigan, political parties nominate candidates for some offices at their conventions instead of holding a primary. Candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, Supreme Court, and the boards of Michigan State University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the state Board of Education are nominated at conventions.

Governor of Michigan

Democratic primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

• Jocelyn Benson
• Kevin Hogan 
• Marni Sawicki 
• Chris Swanson
• Kim Thomas

Did not make the ballot:

• Garlin Gilchrist II

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Election information in Michigan: Aug. 4, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 4, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by July 20, 2026
• Online: July 20, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 3, 2026
• By mail: Received by July 31, 2026
• Online: July 31, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 11, 2026
• By mail: Received by Aug. 11, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

July 25, 2026 to Aug. 2, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (ET/CT)

Context of the 2026 elections

Michigan Party Control: 1992-2026
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D
House	D	S	S	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R

State party overview

Democratic Party of Michigan

See also: Democratic Party of Michigan

Party control in Michigan
Governor	Democratic
Senate	Democratic
House	Republican

Click here for party control in all 50 states

Michigan has a Democratic triplex and a divided trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. The Democratic Party controls the upper chamber, while the Republican Party controls the lower chamber of the state legislature.

State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Twelve of 83 Michigan counties—14 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Bay County, Michigan	12.55%	5.56%	15.31%
Calhoun County, Michigan	12.46%	1.60%	9.36%
Eaton County, Michigan	4.72%	3.13%	8.40%
Gogebic County, Michigan	14.80%	8.10%	17.27%
Isabella County, Michigan	3.66%	9.28%	19.26%
Lake County, Michigan	22.77%	5.01%	12.28%
Macomb County, Michigan	11.53%	3.99%	8.62%
Manistee County, Michigan	15.29%	5.93%	13.26%
Monroe County, Michigan	21.97%	0.98%	4.35%
Saginaw County, Michigan	1.13%	11.89%	17.34%
Shiawassee County, Michigan	19.59%	3.67%	8.59%
Van Buren County, Michigan	13.92%	0.45%	8.78%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Michigan with 47.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1836 and 2016, Michigan voted Republican 60.8 percent of the time and Democratic 34.7 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Michigan voted Democratic four out of the five elections.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Michigan. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 53 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 37.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 43 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 39.3 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 57 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 12.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 67 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. Trump won eight districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	76.12%	23.52%	D+52.6	74.49%	22.85%	D+51.6	D
2	75.84%	23.76%	D+52.1	74.45%	22.64%	D+51.8	D
3	98.21%	1.58%	D+96.6	96.30%	2.42%	D+93.9	D
4	96.04%	3.37%	D+92.7	92.77%	5.06%	D+87.7	D
5	96.95%	2.71%	D+94.2	93.33%	4.83%	D+88.5	D
6	94.15%	5.34%	D+88.8	90.29%	7.44%	D+82.9	D
7	98.97%	0.86%	D+98.1	96.95%	1.74%	D+95.2	D
8	97.77%	1.98%	D+95.8	95.72%	2.90%	D+92.8	D
9	96.42%	3.28%	D+93.1	93.92%	4.34%	D+89.6	D
10	83.03%	16.36%	D+66.7	80.28%	16.66%	D+63.6	D
11	69.83%	29.28%	D+40.6	60.65%	34.79%	D+25.9	D
12	69.66%	29.46%	D+40.2	56.96%	38.90%	D+18.1	D
13	58.70%	40.26%	D+18.4	47.99%	46.73%	D+1.3	D
14	63.97%	34.90%	D+29.1	50.54%	44.29%	D+6.2	D
15	65.45%	33.49%	D+32	62.76%	31.92%	D+30.8	D
16	65.88%	33.26%	D+32.6	56.06%	38.69%	D+17.4	D
17	53.64%	45.27%	D+8.4	38.41%	56.34%	R+17.9	R
18	58.28%	40.69%	D+17.6	50.48%	44.92%	D+5.6	D
19	47.24%	51.98%	R+4.7	43.64%	51.18%	R+7.5	R
20	47.63%	51.76%	R+4.1	49.30%	45.76%	D+3.5	R
21	55.97%	43.27%	D+12.7	54.96%	40.68%	D+14.3	D
22	62.75%	36.16%	D+26.6	50.97%	44.23%	D+6.7	D
23	51.61%	47.53%	D+4.1	41.73%	53.84%	R+12.1	D
24	48.16%	51.15%	R+3	40.03%	55.91%	R+15.9	R
25	51.35%	47.82%	D+3.5	42.94%	52.49%	R+9.6	D
26	58.60%	40.29%	D+18.3	56.27%	37.48%	D+18.8	D
27	74.32%	24.77%	D+49.6	71.48%	23.39%	D+48.1	D
28	63.19%	35.81%	D+27.4	54.82%	40.99%	D+13.8	D
29	75.48%	23.86%	D+51.6	69.48%	26.66%	D+42.8	D
30	47.68%	51.54%	R+3.9	39.34%	57.11%	R+17.8	R
31	57.26%	41.80%	D+15.5	47.27%	48.11%	R+0.8	D
32	45.10%	53.91%	R+8.8	30.78%	64.53%	R+33.8	R
33	43.07%	56.18%	R+13.1	32.28%	63.80%	R+31.5	R
34	91.05%	8.32%	D+82.7	85.10%	12.15%	D+73	D
35	81.97%	17.64%	D+64.3	81.81%	15.71%	D+66.1	D
36	38.24%	61.04%	R+22.8	30.40%	65.42%	R+35	R
37	59.10%	40.27%	D+18.8	60.06%	35.59%	D+24.5	D
38	45.76%	53.61%	R+7.9	45.77%	49.43%	R+3.7	R
39	47.87%	51.46%	R+3.6	45.98%	49.67%	R+3.7	R
40	46.75%	52.82%	R+6.1	53.61%	42.72%	D+10.9	R
41	47.73%	51.57%	R+3.8	48.35%	46.97%	D+1.4	R
42	39.08%	60.20%	R+21.1	35.20%	59.46%	R+24.3	R
43	44.30%	54.75%	R+10.5	37.46%	56.79%	R+19.3	R
44	40.04%	59.10%	R+19.1	33.95%	60.71%	R+26.8	R
45	43.50%	55.87%	R+12.4	43.89%	51.48%	R+7.6	R
46	38.96%	60.14%	R+21.2	33.28%	61.11%	R+27.8	R
47	36.64%	62.49%	R+25.9	29.62%	65.24%	R+35.6	R
48	58.92%	39.84%	D+19.1	42.94%	51.79%	R+8.9	D
49	70.36%	28.78%	D+41.6	62.12%	33.46%	D+28.7	D
50	56.32%	42.74%	D+13.6	47.23%	47.93%	R+0.7	D
51	45.91%	53.06%	R+7.1	35.38%	58.95%	R+23.6	R
52	51.66%	47.46%	D+4.2	52.00%	42.81%	D+9.2	D
53	79.38%	19.51%	D+59.9	84.00%	11.95%	D+72.1	D
54	75.10%	23.79%	D+51.3	72.03%	23.05%	D+49	D
55	67.37%	31.61%	D+35.8	68.76%	26.59%	D+42.2	D
56	48.37%	50.57%	R+2.2	35.50%	59.23%	R+23.7	R
57	49.04%	49.87%	R+0.8	36.78%	57.21%	R+20.4	R
58	38.71%	60.10%	R+21.4	26.28%	68.98%	R+42.7	R
59	44.29%	54.72%	R+10.4	32.68%	61.96%	R+29.3	R
60	72.01%	26.83%	D+45.2	69.41%	24.00%	D+45.4	D
61	50.04%	49.13%	D+0.9	49.18%	44.85%	D+4.3	R
62	55.24%	43.75%	D+11.5	46.21%	48.51%	R+2.3	R
63	44.40%	54.59%	R+10.2	36.73%	57.51%	R+20.8	R
64	47.70%	51.23%	R+3.5	39.65%	54.58%	R+14.9	R
65	45.58%	53.37%	R+7.8	34.34%	59.82%	R+25.5	R
66	49.22%	49.68%	R+0.5	40.21%	53.57%	R+13.4	R
67	54.11%	44.79%	D+9.3	48.13%	45.14%	D+3	D
68	74.22%	24.64%	D+49.6	69.86%	24.09%	D+45.8	D
69	63.28%	35.87%	D+27.4	65.25%	29.76%	D+35.5	D
70	46.16%	52.60%	R+6.4	31.66%	61.85%	R+30.2	R
71	51.63%	47.28%	D+4.4	45.73%	48.08%	R+2.4	R
72	42.84%	56.25%	R+13.4	42.15%	51.76%	R+9.6	R
73	38.17%	60.92%	R+22.8	38.73%	55.53%	R+16.8	R
74	38.55%	60.36%	R+21.8	34.41%	58.80%	R+24.4	R
75	74.68%	23.76%	D+50.9	72.00%	20.81%	D+51.2	D
76	54.72%	44.21%	D+10.5	56.22%	36.96%	D+19.3	D
77	40.65%	58.32%	R+17.7	39.18%	54.16%	R+15	R
78	42.78%	56.14%	R+13.4	35.48%	58.95%	R+23.5	R
79	47.82%	51.46%	R+3.6	43.78%	51.52%	R+7.7	R
80	41.20%	57.64%	R+16.4	34.03%	59.93%	R+25.9	R
81	43.91%	55.01%	R+11.1	29.26%	65.68%	R+36.4	R
82	43.67%	55.14%	R+11.5	28.22%	66.56%	R+38.3	R
83	46.42%	52.52%	R+6.1	33.33%	60.79%	R+27.5	R
84	43.28%	55.59%	R+12.3	28.81%	66.70%	R+37.9	R
85	49.88%	48.85%	D+1	35.62%	57.97%	R+22.4	R
86	36.01%	62.99%	R+27	34.93%	58.61%	R+23.7	R
87	40.02%	58.70%	R+18.7	30.07%	63.54%	R+33.5	R
88	26.40%	72.87%	R+46.5	25.79%	68.49%	R+42.7	R
89	37.56%	61.56%	R+24	36.28%	57.85%	R+21.6	R
90	32.62%	66.46%	R+33.8	32.75%	60.91%	R+28.2	R
91	50.46%	48.46%	D+2	39.61%	54.18%	R+14.6	R
92	67.85%	31.32%	D+36.5	58.17%	36.52%	D+21.7	D
93	46.26%	52.90%	R+6.6	38.97%	55.17%	R+16.2	R
94	43.56%	55.67%	R+12.1	37.44%	57.65%	R+20.2	R
95	74.44%	24.76%	D+49.7	66.46%	29.76%	D+36.7	D
96	53.72%	45.31%	D+8.4	43.05%	51.44%	R+8.4	D
97	45.55%	53.21%	R+7.7	30.25%	65.08%	R+34.8	R
98	43.01%	56.04%	R+13	37.35%	55.97%	R+18.6	R
99	50.75%	48.05%	D+2.7	40.94%	52.83%	R+11.9	R
100	43.36%	55.52%	R+12.2	30.44%	64.16%	R+33.7	R
101	48.22%	50.74%	R+2.5	40.48%	53.98%	R+13.5	R
102	42.55%	56.27%	R+13.7	30.87%	63.45%	R+32.6	R
103	42.90%	55.90%	R+13	28.62%	66.46%	R+37.8	R
104	43.58%	55.39%	R+11.8	40.74%	53.27%	R+12.5	R
105	40.35%	58.47%	R+18.1	31.11%	63.83%	R+32.7	R
106	45.20%	53.57%	R+8.4	32.06%	63.22%	R+31.2	R
107	43.34%	55.54%	R+12.2	35.33%	58.84%	R+23.5	R
108	44.37%	54.58%	R+10.2	32.79%	62.29%	R+29.5	R
109	53.29%	45.44%	D+7.9	44.75%	48.82%	R+4.1	D
110	47.04%	51.62%	R+4.6	37.59%	56.55%	R+19	D
Total	54.30%	44.79%	D+9.5	47.36%	47.59%	R+0.2	-
Source: Daily Kos

See also

2026 Elections

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