Karen McDonald

Karen McDonald

Democratic Party

Candidate, Attorney General of Michigan

Prior offices

Michigan 6th Circuit Court

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Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Alma College, 1992

Law

Wayne State University Law School, 1998

Contact

Campaign website

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Karen McDonald (Democratic Party) is running for election for Attorney General of Michigan. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

McDonald was a judge of the Michigan 6th Circuit Court. She left office in 2019.

Education

McDonald received her undergraduate degree from Alma College and her J.D. from Wayne State University.

Career

In 2020, McDonald was elected Oakland County Prosecutor in Michigan.

McDonald was a partner at the firm Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss P.C., from 2004 to 2013, where she focused on family law. Prior to that, she worked at the firm Bodman LLP and spent five years in the Oakland County prosecutor's office from 1999 to 2004 as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. Before entering the legal profession, McDonald also spent three years as a public school teacher.

Associations

• Board member, Starfish

Elections

2026

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

The following candidates are running in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Karen McDonald (D)
		Eli Savit (D)
		Mark Totten (D)
		Matthew DePerno (R)
		Kevin Kijewski (R)
	Submit photo	Doug Lloyd (R)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Endorsements

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2012

McDonald advanced from the primary election on August 7, winning 35.22% of the vote. McDonald defeated Dan Christ in the general election on November 6, winning 59.38% of the vote.

See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2012

Bar association ratings

Women Lawyers Association of Michigan

The WLAM rated candidates running for judicial office with one of four ratings: Outstanding, Well Qualified, Qualified or No Rating.

McDonald was rated as Well Qualified.

Endorsements

• The Detroit Free Press. To read the endorsement: visit: Detroit Free Press, "Endorsements: Judge position in Wayne, Oakland counties," October 7, 2012.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also

2026 Elections

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Attorney General of Michigan

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