As November 8 nears, six elections dominate the Michigan ballot

RJ Doroshewitz, Editor-in-chief|October 11, 2022

RJ Doroshewitz

Signs promoting a slew of Republican and conservative-leaning candidates sit atop a hill near Danbridge Street in Plymouth Michigan. October 10, 2022.

With 28 days until election day on November 8, 2022, the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election continues picking up steam as Republican political commentator Tudor Dixon attempts to close the lead held by incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

As of October 9, three separate websites known for forecasting election results—political stock market simulator PredictIt, polling aggregator website FiveThirtyEight and political forecasting website RacetotheWh—all give Whitmer odds stronger than 85 in 100 of winning re-election.

According to the FiveThirtyEight- polling aggregate, Whitmer currently leads Dixon by 11.2%, with recent polls showing anywhere from a 6% to 17% lead. 

The most recent poll on the subject conducted by CBS news shows Whitmer up 53% to 47%, with the incumbent governor holding a 52% approval rating. According to this poll, nearly 70% of those backing Whitmer list abortion rights as one of their top issues, with women supporting Whitmer 59% to 40%. 

 When it comes to fundraising, Dixon has been massively outpaced. According to the Michigan Secretary of State, Whitmer has raised a total of nearly $32,000,000 in her bid for re-election as of August 22, with Dixon having raised $2,400,000. By state law, candidates will be required to release updated fundraising numbers on October 28. 

Alongside the governor’s race come elections for Secretary of State and Attorney General, as well as three ballot initiatives to amend the Michigan Constitution.

Dana Nessel for Attorney General signs were handed out at a Lansing “March for our Lives” protest. June 11, 2022.

Polls have shown incumbent Democrat Jocylyn Benson with a strong lead against Republican challenger Kristina Karmano in the secretary of Secretary of State election, as well as incumbent Democrat Dana Nessel leading against challenger Matt DePerno for Attorney General. Both Benson and Nessel have been polling with similar numbers to Whitmer.

The three ballot initiatives are as follows: Proposal 1 would change the way legislative terms are limited within the state of Michigan; Proposal 2 would expand voting access for Michigan voters; Proposal 3 would guarantee rights to reproductive freedom within the Michigan constitution. The full explanations of the three proposals can be viewed here. 

Recent polling shows strong support for all three proposals appearing on the ballot; a recent September 29 Detroit News poll showed 66% of the population backing Proposal 1, 70% backing Proposal 2 and 66% backing Proposal 3.