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Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 7 Democratic primary)

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Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 24, 2018
Primary: August 7, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Gov. Rick Snyder (Republican)
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Michigan
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Michigan
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
State board of education
State board of regents

Gretchen Whitmer (D) won the August 7 Democratic primary for governor of Michigan. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Whitmer had received 52.1 percent of the vote to Abdul El-Sayed's (D) 30.3 percent.[1]

Former state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D) led in four polls of Michigan's August 7 Democratic gubernatorial primary, and had support of leadership figures within the Democratic Party of Michigan.[2] She faced physician Abdul El-Sayed (D) and businessman Shri Thanedar (D), who each claimed to be the progessive standard-bearer in the race.[3]

Whitmer served in the state legislature for 14 years beginning in 2001, including four years as Senate Minority Leader. Whitmer's campaign materials highlighted her role in passing an expansion of Medicaid and blocking a labor measure that she argued was anti-union.[4] Among the policies given top billing on her campaign website were infrastructure spending, a reduction in taxes on senior citizens, and increased care for veterans.[5] Whitmer was backed by EMILY's List, the Michigan AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers and the Michigan Education Association. A satellite group known as Build a Better Michigan aired $1.8 million in ads supporting her campaign.[6]

El-Sayed directed the Detroit Department of Public Health before resigning to seek the governorship. He touted his Michigan upbringing in his campaign materials, pointing to his decision to return to the state and work in Detroit after obtaining his medical degree. He was backed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Our Revolution, and Democracy for America. El-Sayed's policy objectives included a $15 minimum wage, a single-payer healthcare system for state citizens, and the legalization of marijuana.[7]

Thanedar, a businessman who ran a chemical sales firm, emphasized his success in business after immigrating from India.[8] Thanedar called for a $15 minimum wage, the legalization of marijuana to fund infrastructure and education initiatives, and changes to the state's campaign finance and lobbying laws.[9] He contributed at least $10 million to his campaign.[10]



Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

Gretchen Whitmer defeated Abdul El-Sayed and Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary for Governor of Michigan on August 7, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Michigan

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Whitmer
 
52.0
 
588,436
Image of Abdul El-Sayed
Abdul El-Sayed
 
30.2
 
342,179
Image of Shri Thanedar
Shri Thanedar
 
17.7
 
200,645

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,131,260
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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Democratic Michigan gubernatorial candidates, 2018
Poll Geoffrey Fieger Gretchen WhitmerAbdul El-SayedShri ThanedarUndecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
EPIC-MRA
(July 21-22, 2018)		 0%49%19%22%10%+/-3.11,000
NBC/Marist
(July 15-19, 2018)		 0%31%22%27%20%+/-5.5442
Target Insyght
(June 24-26, 2018)		 0%40%17%19%22%+/-5.0400
Target-Insyght
(July 25-27, 2017)		 35%35%4%3%0%+/-5.35377
AVERAGES 8.75% 38.75% 15.5% 17.75% 13% +/-4.74 554.75
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Democratic Michigan gubernatorial candidates, 2018 (no margin of error information provided)
Poll Gretchen Whitmer Abdul El-SayedShri ThanedarUndecided/OtherSample Size
Change Research for Abdul El-Sayed
(July 20-21, 2018)		 33%27%24%15%1,503
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Democratic Michigan gubernatorial candidates, 2018 (no margin of error information provided)
Poll Gretchen Whitmer Abdul El-SayedShri ThanedarBill CobbsUndecided/OtherSample Size
Marketing Resource Group
(March 13-17, 2018)		 18%10%21%3%48%233
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Endorsements

Democratic candidate endorsements
Endorsement Date El-Sayed Thanedar Whitmer
Federal officials
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I)[11] Jul 26, 2018 ✔
Sen. Carl Levin (D)[12] May 24, 2018 ✔
Rep. Dan Kildee (D)[13] March 13, 2018 ✔
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D)[13] March 13, 2018 ✔
Rep. Sandy Levin (D)[13] March 13, 2018 ✔
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D)[13] March 13, 2018 ✔
National figures
Michael Moore[14] July 19, 2018 ✔
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)[15] July 2, 2018 ✔
Shaun King[16] January 30, 2018 ✔
Organizations
Service Employees International Union[17] July 23, 2018 ✔
The Detroit News[18] July 18, 2018 ✔
Our Revolution[19] May 5, 2018 ✔
Democracy for America[20] April 26, 2018 ✔
Michigan AFL-CIO[21] April 11, 2018 ✔
American Federation of Teachers—Michigan[22] March 27, 2018 ✔
United Auto Workers[23] March 19, 2018 ✔
Teamsters Joint Council 43[24] March 9, 2018 ✔
Justice Democrats[25] February 22, 2018 ✔
Michigan Education Association[26] January 15, 2018 ✔
Michigan Nurses Association[27] November 13, 2017 ✔
EMILY's List[28] March 14, 2017 ✔
Southwest Michigan for Progress[29] Unknown ✔

Campaign finance

As of July 31, 2018, campaign finance disclosures showed the following:[30]

    • Shri Thanedar (D) had raised almost $10.2 million, spent about $2.9 million, and had about $7.3 million in cash on hand.
    • Gretchen Whitmer (D) had raised nearly $7 million ($6.2 million from private funds and $700,000 in public matching funds), spent almost $3.9 million, and had about $3 million ($2.3 million in private funds and $700,000 in public matching funds) in cash on hand.
    • Abdul El-Sayed (D) had raised about $4.3 million ($4 million in private funds and $300,000 in public matching funds), spent more than $4 million ($3.7 million in private funds and $300,000 in public matching funds), and had about $260,000 ($253,000 in private funds and $7,000 in public matching funds) in cash on hand.

Past elections

2014

See also: Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Mark Schauer was unopposed in the 2014 Democratic primary election.[31]

Campaign tactics and strategies

Campaign advertisements

Democratic Party Gretchen Whitmer

Support
"It's Personal" - ad by Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, released on July 30, 2018
"Michigan" - ad by Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, released on July 30, 2018
"Grit" - ad by Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, released on July 10, 2018
"Water" - ad by Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, released on July 10, 2018
"In Your Corner" - ad by Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, released on June 28, 2018
"Work Hard" - ad by Build a Better Michigan, released on June 11, 2018


Democratic Party Abdul El-Sayed

Support
"Language of the Impossible" - ad by Abdul El-Sayed for Governor, released on August 1, 2018
"Grandparents" - ad by Abdul El-Sayed for Governor, released on July 9, 2018

Democratic Party Shri Thanedar

Support
"Name Game Part 2" - ad by Shri Thanedar for Governor, released on August 1, 2018
"Health Care" - ad by Shri Thanedar for Governor, released on July 24, 2018
"New Ingredient" - ad by Shri Thanedar for Governor, released on June 27, 2018
"Balloon" - ad by Shri Thanedar for Governor, released on June 27, 2018
"Name Game" - ad by Shri Thanedar for Governor, released on February 4, 2018
Oppose
"Cruel" - ad by Humane Society Legislative Fund, released on August 1, 2018

Noteworthy events

Politico profile of Thanedar

On June 24, 2018, Politico published a profile of Shri Thanedar (D) which included allegations from three Michigan political strategists and the president of the state's Small Business Association that Thanedar had explored running as a Republican or an independent candidate before deciding to seek the Democratic nomination. Political strategist Dan McMaster, a Republican member of the bipartisan political consulting firm Grassroots Midwest, said that in a meeting with Thanedar prior to the beginning of his campaign, "He told us he didn’t know whether he was going to run as a Republican or a Democrat. I told him, ‘Your personal story is a Republican story.’"[32] Democratic strategist Adrian Hemond, a member of the same firm, said that in the meeting "We asked him about the abortion issue, and he said he was comfortable with whatever position he needed to adopt to get the best chance to win...He said the same thing about gun issues. The one place where he was a little evasive was the gay rights thing. I don’t know that there’s a significance to that. He just sort of dodged."[32] The Politico story referenced similar accounts from Democratic consultant Joe DiSano and Small Business Association President Rob Fowler. In response to the allegations, the Thanedar campaign said that Grassroots Midwest was attacking the campaign after they had decided not to hire the firm.[32]

Context of the election

  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting governor was Rick Snyder (R), who was first elected to the position in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Snyder was prevented from running in 2018 by term limits.
  • As of the 2018 election, Michigan was under a Republican trifecta. It gained this status in 2011, when Snyder took office and Republicans gained a majority in the Michigan House of Representatives. Michigan also had a Republican triplex.
  • In the previous five presidential elections, Michigan was won by the Democratic candidate in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 and by the Republican candidate in 2016. The widest margin of victory was Barack Obama's 17 percent margin in 2008 while the narrowest was Donald Trump's 0.13 percent margin in 2016.}}
  • Michigan was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Race ratings

Race ratings: Michigan gubernatorial election, 2018
Race tracker Race ratings
November 5, 2018 October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018
The Cook Political Report Lean Democratic Lean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales Lean Democratic Lean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Likely Democratic Likely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.


State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Michigan heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Michigan State Legislature. They had a 63-46 majority in the state House and a 27-10 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

2018 elections

See also: Michigan elections, 2018

Michigan held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Michigan
 MichiganU.S.
Total population:9,917,715316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):56,5393,531,905
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.

As of July 2016, Michigan's three largest cities were Detroit (pop. est. 673,000), Grand Rapids (pop. est. 199,000), and Warren (pop. est. 135,000).[33]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Michigan from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Michigan Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Michigan every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Michigan 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 47.5% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 47.3% 0.2%
2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 54.2% Republican Party Mitt Romney 44.7% 9.5%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 57.4% Republican Party John McCain 41.0% 16.4%
2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 51.2% Republican Party George W. Bush 47.8% 3.4%
2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 51.3% Republican Party George W. Bush 46.2% 5.1%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Michigan from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Michigan 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Democratic Party Gary Peters 54.6% Republican Party Terri Lynn Land 41.3% 13.3%
2012 Democratic Party Debbie Stabenow 58.8% Republican Party Pete Hoekstra 38.0% 20.8%
2008 Democratic Party Carl Levin 62.7% Republican Party Jack Hoogendyk, Jr. 33.9% 28.8%
2006 Democratic Party Debbie Stabenow 56.9% Republican Party Michael Bouchard 41.3% 15.6%
2002 Democratic Party Carl Levin 60.6% Republican Party Rocky Raczkowski 37.9% 22.7%
2000 Democratic Party Debbie Stabenow 49.5% Republican Party Spence Abraham 47.9% 1.6%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Michigan.

Election results (Governor), Michigan 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Rick Snyder 50.9% Democratic Party Mark Schauer 46.9% 4.0%
2010 Republican Party Rick Snyder 58.1% Democratic Party Virg Bernero 39.9% 18.2%
2006 Democratic Party Jennifer Granholm 56.4% Republican Party Dick DeVos 42.3% 14.1%
2002 Democratic Party Jennifer Granholm 51.4% Republican Party Dick Posthumus 47.4% 4.0%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Michigan in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Michigan 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 9 64.3% Democratic Party 5 35.7% R+4
2014 Republican Party 9 64.3% Democratic Party 5 35.7% R+4
2012 Republican Party 9 64.3% Democratic Party 5 35.7% R+4
2010 Republican Party 9 60.0% Democratic Party 6 40.0% R+3
2008 Republican Party 7 46.7% Democratic Party 8 53.3% D+1
2006 Republican Party 8 53.3% Democratic Party 7 46.7% R+1
2004 Republican Party 9 60.0% Democratic Party 6 40.0% R+3
2002 Republican Party 9 60.0% Democratic Party 6 40.0% R+3
2000 Republican Party 7 43.75% Democratic Party 9 56.25% D+2

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

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


Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michigan governor Democratic primary 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 7 Democratic primary) - Google News

See also

Michigan government:

Elections:

Ballotpedia exclusives:

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The New York Times, "Michigan Primary Election Results," August 7, 2018
  2. ↑ The Detroit News, "Whitmer rises to establishment choice in Democrats’ gov race," June 27, 2018
  3. ↑ Bridge MI, "It’s Thanedar vs. El-Sayed, as Michigan gov hopefuls square off over eligibility," May 1, 2018
  4. ↑ Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, "Bio," accessed July 2, 2018
  5. ↑ Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, "Issues," accessed July 2, 2018
  6. ↑ The Detroit News, "Whitmer featured in $1.8M television ad campaign," June 12, 2018
  7. ↑ Abdul for Michigan, "Issues," accessed July 2, 2018
  8. ↑ Politico, "The Bizarro-World Trump Storming Michigan Politics," June 24, 2018
  9. ↑ Shri Thanedar for Governor, "Meet Shri Thanedar," accessed July 2, 2018
  10. ↑ Crain's Detroit Business," accessed July 27, 2018
  11. ↑ ClickOnDetroit, "Bernie Sanders endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan governor's race," July 26, 2018
  12. ↑ Twitter, "Jonathan Oosting," May 24, 2018
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 The State News, "Michigan House Democrats endorse Gretchen Whitmer for governor," March 13, 2018
  14. ↑ Detroit Metro Times, "Filmmaker Michael Moore makes endorsement in Michigan governor's race," July 19, 2018
  15. ↑ The Detroit News, "Surprise N.Y. Democrat winner endorses El-Sayed," accessed July 2, 2018
  16. ↑ The Michigan Daily, "Shaun King endorses El-Sayed for governor," January 30, 2018
  17. ↑ Twitter, "Jonathan Oosting on July 23, 2018"
  18. ↑ The Detroit News, "Endorsements for gov primaries: Calley, Whitmer," July 18, 2018
  19. ↑ Our Revolution, "Our Revolution Endorses Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan Governor," May 5, 2018
  20. ↑ Democracy for America, "Democracy for America endorses Abdul El-Sayed for Governor of Michigan," April 26, 2018
  21. ↑ MLive, "Michigan AFL-CIO endorses Gretchen Whitmer for governor," April 11, 2018
  22. ↑ Medium, "American Federation of Teachers Michigan Endorses Gretchen Whitmer for Governor," March 27, 2018
  23. ↑ Detroit News, "UAW backs Democrat Whitmer for Mich. governor," March 19, 2018
  24. ↑ WILX, "Teamsters endorse Gretchen Whitmer," March 9, 2018
  25. ↑ Youtube, "Justice Democrats endorses Abdul El-Sayed for Governor of Michigan!" February 22, 2018
  26. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "MEA endorses Democrat Gretchen Whitmer as Michigan's next governor," January 15, 2018
  27. ↑ The Detroit News, "Nurses’ union backs El-Sayed for Mich. governor," November 13, 2017
  28. ↑ Twitter, "Jonathan Oosting," March 14, 2017
  29. ↑ Organization communication with Ballotpedia staff.
  30. ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2018 Race for Governor," accessed July 31, 2018
  31. ↑ Michigan Department of State, "2014 Primary Results," September 28, 2016
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Politico, "The Bizarro-World Trump Storming Michigan Politics," June 24, 2018
  33. ↑ Michigan Demographics, "Michigan Cities by Population," accessed September 5, 2018
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