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Dana Nessel (D) defeated Tom Leonard (R) and three other candidates for Michigan attorney general on November 6, 2018.
Heading into the election, Michigan had been a Republican trifecta since 2011, when Gov. Rick Snyder (R) took office and Republicans gained a majority in the Michigan House of Representatives. During the 2018 election, Michigan was a Republican triplex.
Incumbent Bill Schuette (R), who was first elected in 2010, was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election. Michigan's Republican Party looked to win its fifth straight attorney general election in 2018. This contrasts with the state's trend in choosing a presidential nominee; in the five presidential elections leading up to 2018, Michigan was won by the Democratic candidate in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 and by the Republican candidate in 2016.
Third party and independent candidates included Lisa Lane Gioia (L), Gerald T. Van Sickle, (U.S. Taxpayers) and Chris Graveline (I).
Michigan Attorney General election, 2018
| Poll | Dana Nessel | Tom Leonard | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Detroit News/WDIV-TV September 5-7, 2018 | 42% | 29% | 24% | +/-4.0 | 600 |
Attorney General of Michigan, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Bill 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 | ||||
2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party |  Bill Schuette
|
52.3% | |
| Democratic Party | David Leyton | 43.5% | |
| Libertarian Party | Daniel W. Grow | 2.3% | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Gerald T. Van Sickle | 1.9% | |
| Total Votes | 3,136,224 | ||
2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | Mike Cox
|
53.8% | |
| Democratic Party | Amos Williams | 43.6% | |
| Libertarian Party | Bill Hall | 1.6% | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Charles Conces | 1.0% | |
| Total Votes | 3,690,415 | ||
2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | Mike Cox
|
48.9% | |
| Democratic Party | Gary Peters | 48.7% | |
| Green Party | Jerry Kaufmann | 1.5% | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Gerald T. Van Sickle | 0.9% | |
| Total Votes | 3,068,012 | ||
Demographic data for Michigan
| Michigan | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 9,917,715 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 56,539 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.9% | 50.8% |
| 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) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Michigan. | ||
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).
