Who's In the Race

Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson is running against GOP Rep. John James. Benson is a national figure known for pushing back on President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. James, an Army veteran, has touted his endorsement from President Donald Trump. ​

The seat is open because incumbent governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is not running for reelection.

In the Aug. 4 primary, Benson won the Democratic contest with 85 percent of the vote, beating Chris Swanson by 70 percentage points. James won the Republican primary with 85,579 votes, ahead of Perry Johnson with 60,052 and Mike Cox with 20,815; vote percentages for the Republican primary were not available.

Endorsements

Benson has drawn endorsements from Barack Obama and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with 82 others, for 84 recorded endorsements in all.

James has secured an endorsement from Donald Trump, along with Kid Rock and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and 21 others.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Polling

Cook Political Report rates the race Lean Democratic, updated Oct. 28. Sabato's Crystal Ball rates it Likely Democratic, also updated Oct. 28. The consensus rating is Lean Democratic, updated Oct. 23.

Polling aggregated by Legis1 through Oct. 29 shows Benson leading James 51 percent to 43 percent, a margin of 8 points, based on 140 polls. That lead, if it holds, would put Benson above the 50-percent mark on Election Day, a threshold that matters in a two-candidate race because it leaves no room for a third-party spoiler to scramble the outcome.

Previous Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Michigan with 50 percent of the vote to Kamala Harris's 48 percent, a margin of about 80,000 votes. That result signaled that the state remains genuinely competitive at the presidential level.

In the 2022 governor's race, Whitmer won with 2,430,505 votes over Republican Tudor Dixon, who received 1,960,635 votes, a margin of about 470,000 votes. Whitmer's 469,870-vote winning margin in 2022 was nearly six times Trump's 80,103-vote margin in Michigan in 2024.

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