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Michigan Attorney General election, 2026

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2022
Michigan Attorney General
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 21, 2026
Primary: August 4, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Michigan

Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2026
Impact of term limits in 2026
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
Michigan
executive elections
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)

Michigan is holding an election for attorney general on November 3, 2026.

To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

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 Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Kevin Kijewski

WebsiteX

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "Kevin Kijewski is a lifelong Republican, defense attorney, and former Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit, where he oversaw 86 schools and 27,000 students. He currently represents Trump alternate electors facing politically motivated charges. During COVID, he helped lead a successful legal effort to reopen Michigan’s nonpublic schools. A former ACE teaching fellow through the University of Notre Dame, Kijewski began his career serving students in under-resourced communities. He holds a J.D. from Michigan State and a Master’s in Education from Notre Dame. He lives in Birmingham with his wife and daughter."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Restore law and order by supporting law enforcement, cracking down on violent crime, and reversing soft-on-crime policies that endanger Michigan communities.


Protect constitutional freedoms by defending the Second Amendment, safeguarding religious liberty, and opposing government overreach and political prosecutions.


Rebuild trust in government by investigating voter fraud, exposing corruption, and ensuring accountability and transparency in Lansing.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

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Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Restore law and order by supporting law enforcement, cracking down on violent crime, and reversing soft-on-crime policies that endanger Michigan communities.

Protect constitutional freedoms by defending the Second Amendment, safeguarding religious liberty, and opposing government overreach and political prosecutions.

Rebuild trust in government by investigating voter fraud, exposing corruption, and ensuring accountability and transparency in Lansing.
Kijewski is passionate about restoring public safety, protecting constitutional rights, and safeguarding election integrity. He believes in prosecuting crime, defending the Second Amendment, pushing back on government overreach, and eliminating corruption and politically motivated lawfare.
The attorney general’s core responsibilities are to enforce the law impartially, defend the constitutional rights of all citizens, and serve as a check on government overreach. As Michigan’s top law enforcement officer, the AG must support police, prosecute crime, and uphold public trust by exposing corruption and lawfare. The role is not about pushing a political agenda—it’s about protecting the rule of law, ensuring fair elections, and standing up for everyday Michiganders when government goes too far.
*The Wealth of Nations* by Adam Smith. It defends free markets, limited government, and individual liberty—core principles that should guide public policy and legal interpretation.


You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.


Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.

2022

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

Incumbent Dana Nessel defeated Matthew DePerno, Joe McHugh, and Gerald T. Van Sickle in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dana Nessel
Dana Nessel (D)
 
53.2
 
2,329,195
Image of Matthew DePerno
Matthew DePerno (R)
 
44.6
 
1,952,408
Image of Joe McHugh
Joe McHugh (L)
 
1.5
 
67,846
Image of Gerald T. Van Sickle
Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
 
0.7
 
32,431

Total votes: 4,381,880
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Incumbent Dana Nessel advanced from the Democratic convention for Attorney General of Michigan on August 21, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Dana Nessel
Dana Nessel (D)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Matthew DePerno defeated Ryan Berman and Tom Leonard in the Republican convention for Attorney General of Michigan on August 27, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Ryan Berman
Ryan Berman (R)
Image of Matthew DePerno
Matthew DePerno (R)
Image of Tom Leonard
Tom Leonard (R)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Joe McHugh advanced from the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Michigan on July 10, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Joe McHugh
Joe McHugh (L)

Candidate Connection = 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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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Gerald T. Van Sickle advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Attorney General of Michigan on July 23, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Gerald T. Van Sickle
Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

Dana Nessel defeated Tom Leonard, Lisa Lane Gioia, Chris Graveline, and Gerald T. Van Sickle in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dana Nessel
Dana Nessel (D)
 
49.0
 
2,031,117
Image of Tom Leonard
Tom Leonard (R)
 
46.3
 
1,916,117
Image of Lisa Lane Gioia
Lisa Lane Gioia (L)
 
2.1
 
86,807
Image of Chris Graveline
Chris Graveline (Independent)
 
1.7
 
69,889
Image of Gerald T. Van Sickle
Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
 
0.9
 
38,114

Total votes: 4,142,044
Candidate Connection = 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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2014
Attorney General of Michigan, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Schuette Incumbent 52.1% 1,603,471
     Democratic Mark Totten 44.2% 1,359,839
     Libertarian Justin Altman 1.9% 57,345
     U.S. Taxpayers Gerald T. Van Sickle 1% 30,762
     Green John Anthony La Pietra 0.8% 25,747
Total Votes 3,077,164
Election results via Michigan Department of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in Michigan and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, Michigan
District Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Michigan's 1st 39.0% 60.0%
Michigan's 2nd 34.0% 64.0%
Michigan's 3rd 53.0% 45.0%
Michigan's 4th 46.0% 52.0%
Michigan's 5th 36.0% 63.0%
Michigan's 6th 60.0% 37.0%
Michigan's 7th 49.0% 50.0%
Michigan's 8th 48.0% 50.0%
Michigan's 9th 33.0% 65.0%
Michigan's 10th 46.0% 52.0%
Michigan's 11th 57.0% 41.0%
Michigan's 12th 67.0% 29.0%
Michigan's 13th 69.0% 28.0%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2024 presidential election, 45.7% of Michiganians lived in one of the state's 72 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 43.9% lived in one of 7 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Michigan was Battleground Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Michigan following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Michigan presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 13 Democratic wins
  • 18 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R P[1] R R R R D D R D R R R D D D R R R R R D D D D D D R D R

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Michigan

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Michigan.

U.S. Senate election results in Michigan
Race Winner Runner up
2024 48.6%Democratic Party 48.3%Republican Party
2020 49.9%Democratic Party 48.2%Republican Party
2018 52.3%Democratic Party 45.8%Republican Party
2014 54.6%Democratic Party 41.3%Republican Party
2012 58.6%Democratic Party 38.0%Republican Party
Average 52.8 44.3

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Michigan

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Michigan.

Gubernatorial election results in Michigan
Race Winner Runner up
2022 54.5%Democratic Party 43.9%Republican Party
2018 53.3%Democratic Party 43.7%Republican Party
2014 50.9%Republican Party 46.9%Democratic Party
2010 58.1%Republican Party 39.9%Democratic Party
2006 56.4%Democratic Party 42.3%Republican Party
Average 54.6 43.3
See also: Party control of Michigan state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Michigan's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Michigan
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 6 8
Republican 0 7 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 13 15

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Michigan's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Michigan, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Gretchen Whitmer
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Garlin Gilchrist II
Secretary of State Democratic Party Jocelyn Benson
Attorney General Democratic Party Dana Nessel

State legislature

Michigan State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 19
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 38

Michigan House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 52
     Republican Party 58
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 110

Trifecta control

Michigan Party Control: 1992-2025
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
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
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
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

The table below details demographic data in Michigan and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for Michigan
Michigan United States
Population 10,077,331 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 56,610 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 74.8% 63.4%
Black/African American 13.4% 12.4%
Asian 3.3% 5.8%
Native American 0.5% 0.9%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.4%
Other (single race) 1.8% 6.6%
Multiple 6.3% 10.7%
Hispanic/Latino 5.7% 19%
Education
High school graduation rate 91.9% 89.4%
College graduation rate 31.8% 35%
Income
Median household income $71,149 $78,538
Persons below poverty level 13.1% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Attorney General elections in 2026

There are 30 attorney general seats on the ballot in 2026.

See also

Michigan State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Michigan State Executive Offices
Michigan State Legislature
Michigan Courts
2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Michigan elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. Progressive Party