Incumbent Jocelyn Benson (D) defeated Kristina Karamo (R) and three others for secretary of state of Michigan on November 8, 2022.

Benson was first elected secretary of state in 2017. She worked with the Democratic National Committee and the Michigan Democratic Party to develop training programs for election law attorneys from 2004 to 2008, and she wrote a book she said was about the role secretaries of state play in defending democracy. Benson said she was “[c]ommitted to the nonpartisan operation of the Secretary of State’s Office” and said she “transformed its operations to provide faster and more convenient service for every Michigander…while ensuring that elections are free, fair, secure and accurate, and fighting to protect voting rights for all Michigan voters whether Republicans, Democrats or Independents.”^[1]^[2]

Karamo was a community college educator and podcast host. After serving as an official poll challenger during the 2020 election, Karamo said she witnessed fraud on Detroit’s absentee counting board, which motivated her to run for secretary of state.^[3] Karamo criticized Benson’s performance in office, saying, “Our voting rights consist of ballot access, ballot security, and preventing illegal ballots from being injected into the system and the current officeholder has not done a sufficient job in protecting our voting rights.”^[4] If elected, Karamo said she would audit the state’s voter registration list. She said, “With so many people voting absentee we have to make sure that that voting list is accurate because we open the door for individuals to request ballots for people who are not Michigan citizens [or] do not exist…”^[4]

As of November 2022, campaign finance reports from the Michigan Secretary of State’s office showed that Benson raised more than $5 million, Karamo raised more than $1 million, and Stempfle raised more than $7,000. Neither Hutchinson nor Schwartz reported any fundraising for this race.^[5]

Minor party, independent, and write-in candidates included Larry Hutchinson, Jr. (G), Gregory Stempfle (L), and Christine Schwartz of the U.S. Taxpayers Party.

This was one of 27 elections for secretary of state taking place in 2022. Click here for an overview of these races. All but three states have a secretary of state. Although the specific duties and powers of the office vary from state to state, secretaries of state are often responsible for the maintenance of voter rolls and for administering elections. Other common responsibilities include registering businesses, maintaining state records, and certifying official documents. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican secretaries of state and 20 Democratic secretaries of state.

A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control. As of 2022, Michigan was a Democratic triplex.

Kristina Karamo (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click on a candidate's name to view that candidate's responses.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Michigan Secretary of State

Incumbent Jocelyn Benson defeated Kristina Karamo, Gregory Stempfle, Christine Schwartz, and Larry Hutchinson Jr. in the general election for Michigan Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jocelyn Benson (D)	55.9	2,467,859
	Kristina Karamo (R)	41.9	1,852,510
	Gregory Stempfle (L)	1.2	52,982
	Christine Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.6	27,937
	Larry Hutchinson Jr. (G)	0.4	16,615

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,417,903
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan Secretary of State

Incumbent Jocelyn Benson advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan Secretary of State on August 21, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Jocelyn Benson (D)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan Secretary of State

Kristina Karamo defeated Cindy Berry, Beau LaFave, and Cathleen Postmus in the Republican convention for Michigan Secretary of State on August 27, 2022.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Cindy Berry (R)
✔		Kristina Karamo (R)
		Beau LaFave (R)
	Submit photo	Cathleen Postmus (R)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Green convention

Green convention for Michigan Secretary of State

Larry Hutchinson Jr. advanced from the Green convention for Michigan Secretary of State on April 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Larry Hutchinson Jr. (G)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Michigan Secretary of State

Gregory Stempfle advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan Secretary of State on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Gregory Stempfle (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Michigan Secretary of State

Christine Schwartz advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Michigan Secretary of State on July 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Christine Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Election information in Michigan: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 24, 2022
Online: Oct. 24, 2022

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

N/A

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

In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 4, 2022
Online: Nov. 4, 2022

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

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 29, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

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

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Candidate comparison

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.

Jocelyn Benson

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

Michigan Secretary of State (2019 - Present)

Biography: Benson received a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. from Magdalen College in Oxford, England, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. In 2004, Benson worked with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to develop its first nationwide election protection program and worked with the Michigan Democratic Party to develop a similar program from 2006 to 2008. Benson served as associate professor of law and dean of Detroit’s Wayne State University Law School. In 2015, she became one of the youngest women to be inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Discussing her record in office, Benson said she has “drastically improved operations at the Secretary of State’s Office and overseen the highest turnout and most secure election in Michigan history.” She said she is “committed to ensuring the Secretary of State’s Office operates above partisanship and provides free and fair elections for Republicans, Democrats and Independents.”

Discussing her record in office, Benson said she is “[c]ommitted to the nonpartisan operation of the Secretary of State’s Office” and has “transformed its operations to provide faster and more convenient service for every Michigander…while ensuring that elections are free, fair, secure and accurate, and fighting to protect voting rights for all Michigan voters whether Republicans, Democrats or Independents.”

Benson said she is a nationally recognized expert in election law and is the author of Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process—a book she said is about the role secretaries play in defending democracy.

Show sources

Sources: Jocelyn Benson campaign website, “Meet Jocelyn,” accessed October 28, 2022; Benson said she worked with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to “develop its first nationwide Election Protection program, which gave the authority to select, recruit, and train its Voter Protection coordinators in twenty-one states, and deploy over 17,000 trained election law attorneys.” She says she also worked with the Michigan Democratic Party to develop similar programs from 2006 to 2008.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan Secretary of State in 2022.

Kristina Karamo

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am an everyday citizen determined to protect our voting rights. Our voting rights are inextricably linked to our liberty. I share to concerns of many citizens that our country is going in the wrong direction. However, securing our voting rights are the only mechanism we have to have a say. I’m commit to being a servant-leader, upholding my oath of office."

Key Messages

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

Our voting rights are inextricably linked to our liberty, and I’m determined to protect them as Secretary of State.

SoS branch offices will be customer-focused, with an efficient appointment and walk-in system.

As an automotive regulatory agency the Secretary of State must work with businesses to protect the consumer, not function as a money making entity..

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan Secretary of State in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Kristina Karamo (R)

Our voting rights are inextricably linked to our liberty, and I’m determined to protect them as Secretary of State.

SoS branch offices will be customer-focused, with an efficient appointment and walk-in system.

As an automotive regulatory agency the Secretary of State must work with businesses to protect the consumer, not function as a money making entity..

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Kristina Karamo (R)

I am personally passionate about protecting our Constitutional Rights. Governments exist to protect our rights from being violated. We must be vigilant to keep elected officials in check regarding what their duties are.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Kristina Karamo (R)

The Michigan Secretary of State is the cheif election officer. It is their job, to ensure the heart beat of our freedom our election system is operated per the rule of law.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Kristina Karamo (R)

I look up to Jesus Christ. He loved everyone, even those who despised him. He taught to love your fellow man, as you love yourself. That we are to love our fellow man, as we love ourselves. That we are to be patient, and speak the truth in love.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Kristina Karamo (R)

When I was six years old I remember the Gulf War, specifically Desert Storm. When I was a kid, I was always interested in current affairs, because it impacts our lives. I’m interested in anything that impacts our lives.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Kristina Karamo (R)

At 17, the summer before college I worked as a waitress at a breakfast restaurant.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Kristina Karamo (R)

The most important responsibility of the Secretary of State is to protect our voting rights. Our voting rights exist in three elements: ballot access, ballot security, and preventing illegal ballots from being cast. Irrespective of political affiliation, I will protect your voting rights.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Kristina Karamo (R)

One of the responsibilities of Secretary of State is to protect your identity. A current issue, and that third party groups are allowed to have intimate details about our voter registration database. Which makes Michiganders vulnerable to voter fraud.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Jocelyn Benson

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Jocelyn Benson while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us. View more ads here:

Kristina Karamo

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Kristina Karamo while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us. View more ads here:

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Analysis and commentary

Karamo v. Winfrey lawsuit about Detroit elections

On October 28, 2022, Karamo filed a lawsuit against the City of Detroit Board of Election Inspectors and Detroit City clerk challenging the method by which absentee ballots were “administered, returned and counted in the city. Specifically, the plaintiffs argue that absentee ballots should only be requested in person at an election clerk’s office, as opposed to online or by mail. They further argue that the individual requesting and casting an absentee ballot must verify their identity in person…Additionally, the plaintiffs allege that absentee ballots should not be returned via mail or drop box and instead should be submitted to an election clerk in person…Finally, the plaintiffs claim that the city’s use of Absent Voter Counting Board (“a precinct that may be established by the election commission of a city or township for the purpose of processing and counting absent voter ballots separately from precinct activity”) is illegal…”^[6] The lawsuit “sought an injunction that would have required those who already voted by mail to do so again at a local polling station.”^[7]

The Wayne County Circuit Court‘s decision on this case was released on November 7. Clara Hendrickson of The Detroit Free Press wrote, "In a blistering opinion issued the day before the midterm election, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny Monday rejected a request from Kristina Karamo — the Republican vying to serve as Michigan's next chief elections officer — to expand election observers' access in Detroit's absentee ballot counting room and subject Detroit voters and election officials to a different set of rules than the rest of the state. In his order Monday, Kenny dismissed the lawsuit, which was filed less than two weeks before the midterm election and initially asked the court to halt the count of absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 election not requested in person by Detroit voters."^[8]

Karamo criticized the court’s decision in the following tweet on November 7: "Judge Kenny refused to allow ‘evidence’ of past violations, refused to hear from ANY of the plaintiffs witnesses, and decided the case only on ‘claims’ by the defendants of how they ‘intend’ to conduct this election. Then he proceeds to make false accusations against plaintiffs.”^[9]

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from candidates submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office in this election. It does not include information on spending by satellite groups. Click here to access the reports.

Past elections

2018

See also: Michigan Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan Secretary of State

Jocelyn Benson defeated Mary Treder Lang, Gregory Scott Stemple, and Robert Gale in the general election for Michigan Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jocelyn Benson (D)	52.9	2,213,243
		Mary Treder Lang (R)	44.0	1,840,118
	Submit photo	Gregory Scott Stemple (L)	2.0	81,849
	Submit photo	Robert Gale (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	1.2	48,816

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,184,026
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2014

See also: Michigan Secretary of State election, 2014

Secretary of State of Michigan, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ruth Johnson Incumbent	53.5%	1,649,047
	Democratic	Godfrey Dillard	42.9%	1,323,004
	Libertarian	James Lewis	2%	61,112
	U.S. Taxpayer	Robert Gale	1.1%	34,447
	Natural Law	Jason Gatties	0.4%	13,185
Total Votes				3,080,795
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.

Presidential elections

	2026 → ← 2018
Michigan Secretary of State
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: —
	General: November 8, 2022; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Jocelyn Benson (Democratic)
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 2022; Impact of term limits in 2022; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Michigan; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; State Board of Education (2 seats); University of Michigan Board of Regents (2 seats); Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats); Wayne State University Board of Governors (2 seats)

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

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Michigan, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Michigan's 1st	Jack Bergman	Republican	R+13
Michigan's 2nd	John Moolenaar	Republican	R+16
Michigan's 3rd	Peter Meijer	Republican	D+1
Michigan's 4th	Bill Huizenga	Republican	R+5
Michigan's 5th	Tim Walberg	Republican	R+15
Michigan's 6th	Debbie Dingell	Democratic	D+11
Michigan's 7th	Elissa Slotkin	Democratic	R+2
Michigan's 8th	Dan Kildee	Democratic	R+1
Michigan's 9th	Lisa McClain	Republican	R+18
Michigan's 10th	Open	Democratic	R+3
Michigan's 11th	Haley Stevens / Andy Levin	Democratic	D+7
Michigan's 12th	Rashida Tlaib	Democratic	D+23
Michigan's 13th	Open	Democratic	D+23

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Michigan^[10]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Michigan's 1st	39.3%	59.1%
Michigan's 2nd	35.0%	63.2%
Michigan's 3rd	53.3%	44.8%
Michigan's 4th	47.1%	51.1%
Michigan's 5th	37.1%	61.2%
Michigan's 6th	62.7%	36.0%
Michigan's 7th	49.4%	48.9%
Michigan's 8th	50.3%	48.2%
Michigan's 9th	34.6%	64.0%
Michigan's 10th	48.8%	49.8%
Michigan's 11th	59.3%	39.4%
Michigan's 12th	73.7%	25.2%
Michigan's 13th	74.2%	24.6%

2012-2020

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 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 46.0% of Michiganians lived in one of the state's eight Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 29.1% lived in one of 61 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Michigan was Battleground Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Michigan following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Michigan county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	8	46.0%
Solid Republican	61	29.1%
Trending Republican	11	16.3%
New Democratic	2	6.8%
Battleground Democratic	1	1.9%
Total voted Democratic	11	54.6%
Total voted Republican	72	45.4%

Historical voting trends

Michigan presidential election results (1900-2020)

13 Democratic wins
17 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
Winning Party	R	R	R	P^[11]	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

Statewide elections

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
2020	49.9%	48.2%
2018	52.3%	45.8%
2014	54.6%	41.3%
2012	58.6%	38.0%
2008	62.7%	33.8%
Average	55.6	41.4

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
2018	53.3%	43.7%
2014	50.9%	46.9%
2010	58.1%	39.9%
2006	56.4%	42.3%
2002	51.4%	47.4%
Average	54.0	44.0

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Michigan's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Michigan, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	7	9
Republican	0	7	7
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	14	16

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Michigan's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Michigan, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Gretchen Whitmer
Lieutenant Governor	Garlin Gilchrist II
Secretary of State	Jocelyn Benson
Attorney General	Dana Nessel

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Michigan State Legislature as of November 2022.

Michigan State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	16
	Republican Party	22
	Vacancies	0
Total		38

Michigan House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	53
	Republican Party	56
	Vacancies	1
Total		110

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Michigan was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Michigan Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas • 14 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Michigan and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Michigan
	Michigan	United States
Population	10,077,331	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	56,609	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	77.6%	70.4%
Black/African American	13.6%	12.6%
Asian	3.2%	5.6%
Native American	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Other (single race)	1.3%	5.1%
Multiple	3.8%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	5.2%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	91.3%	88.5%
College graduation rate	30%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$59,234	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	13.7%	12.8%
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 2015-2020).
**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.

State profile

Demographic data for Michigan
	Michigan	U.S.
Total population:	9,917,715	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	56,539	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	79%	73.6%
Black/African American:	14%	12.6%
Asian:	2.7%	5.1%
Native American:	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.6%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	4.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.6%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	26.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$49,576	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	20%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Michigan. **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.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Michigan

Michigan voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 12 are located in Michigan, accounting for 5.83 percent of the total pivot counties.^[12]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Michigan had 11 Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 6.08 and 4.00 of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Michigan coverage on Ballotpedia

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

[jocelyn-1] Jocelyn Benson campaign website, “Meet Jocelyn,” accessed October 28, 2022

[dfp1-2] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named dfp1

[3] Bridge Michigan, “Kristina Karamo: What to know about Michigan GOP secretary of state candidate,” September 26, 2022

[wlns-4] 4.0 ^4.1 WLNS 6, “Kristina Karamo explains why she thinks she should be Secretary of State,” October 11, 2022

[5] Michigan Secretary of State, “Michigan Campaign Finance Committee Search,” accessed November 7, 2022

[6] Democracy Docket, "Michigan Detroit Absentee Voting Challenge," October 26, 2022

[7] Business Insider, "Michigan judge rejects GOP election lawsuit that could have disenfranchised Detroit voters saying the plaintiffs didn't provide 'any shred of evidence,'" November 7, 2022

[8] The Detroit Free Press, “Judge rejects Kristina Karamo lawsuit targeting Detroit voters ahead of midterm election,” November 7, 2022

[9] Twitter, “Kristina Karamo on November 7, 2022," accessed November 8, 2022

[10] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

[11] Progressive Party

[12] The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

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Michigan Secretary of State election, 2022

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