Who’s running for Michigan governor in 2026?

The list of candidates joining Michigan’s 2026 gubernatorial race is growing.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been in office since 2019 and is term-limited, so she’s unable to run for reelection. Michigan is a swing state that has favored both Democratic and Republican candidates in recent years and, without an incumbent candidate, next year’s election is expected to be highly contested.

The primary election takes place on Aug. 4, 2026, and the general election is on Nov. 3, 2026. There’s still time for more candidates to enter the race: The deadline for Republican and Democratic candidates to file is April 21, 2026, and for candidates without party affiliation, the filing deadline is July 16, 2026.

Here’s what you need to know about the individuals entering the race to be Michigan’s next governor.

Mike Duggan

Mike Duggan has been the mayor of Detroit for the last 11 years, the second-longest tenure of any mayor in the city’s history. He helped lead Detroit out of bankruptcy in December 2014, and in the years since, his priorities have included upgrading city services, removing blight and attracting businesses.

Duggan was the first candidate to announce his campaign for governor in December 2024. His decision to run as an independent candidate came as a shock to many, as Duggan has been a longtime Democrat and even appeared at events for former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in the lead-up to last year’s election. His campaign message has largely centered around working with both parties to get work done on behalf of Michigan residents.

Aric Nesbitt

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, a Porter Township Republican and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, hopes to “Make Michigan Great Again” in his bid for governor.

Nesbitt was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2010 and was later elected to the state Senate in 2018. He grew up on his family’s farm in southwest Michigan and has advocated on behalf of farmers and rural communities during his time in the Legislature. He’s also opposed measures to codify abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution and to protect LGBTQ residents against discrimination.

Jocelyn Benson

Jocelyn Benson has been Michigan’s secretary of state since 2019. Prior to that, she served as the dean of the Wayne State University Law School for four years.

In response to the rise in extremist threats toward election officials following the 2020 presidential election, Benson pushed for legislation to improve election security in Michigan. She also testified in front of the U.S. House Committee on House Administration about the need for additional protections for poll workers before the November 2024 general election.

If elected governor, for which she is running as a Democrat, she promises to cut bureaucracy and unnecessary spending, create affordable housing and ensure voting rights for all Michigan residents, according to her campaign website.

Chris Swanson

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who has worked in law enforcement for almost three decades, says he’s running for governor as a Democrat to “Protect. Serve. Unify.” Swanson has been in the national spotlight in recent years, making television appearances and taking the stage at last year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

He’s previously spoken out against Trump supporters’ attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and police brutality during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Garlin Gilchrist II

Michigan’s first Black lieutenant governor, Democrat Garlin Gilchrist II, has been working alongside Whitmer since 2018, but he’s now seeking to take the helm of state government himself. If elected to the job, he said on social media, he’ll continue the Whitmer administration’s efforts to fix the state’s road infrastructure and invest in public schools.

As second-in-command, Gilchrist chaired the Michigan COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force, an initiative devoted to studying the causes of high rates of coronavirus among Black residents, and spearheaded the creation of the state’s Clean Slate Program, which helps those convicted of low-level crimes clear their criminal records.

Gilchrist previously worked at Microsoft as a software engineer and, in his hometown of Detroit, as the city’s director of innovation.

John James

John James currently represents Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. A Republican in his second term, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice before winning his seat.

His voting record includes support for several federal bills restricting reproductive rights. Most recently, he voted in favor of Trump’s budget bill, which passed through the House in May. The bill would make drastic cuts to social services like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as SNAP.

James graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2012.

Mike Cox

Former Republican Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has also jumped into the race to replace Whitmer. Cox served as attorney general from 2003-2010. He previously ran for governor in 2010, but came in third in the Republican primary.

Cox is a Marine Corps veteran who opened his own law firm in 2011. According to his campaign website, he supports restoring “right-to-work,” an anti-union labor law that allows employees to benefit from collective bargaining without paying union dues. He also wants to replicate the efforts of Trump’s federal Department of Government Efficiency in Michigan by reducing government spending, despite reports the agency’s cuts have contributed to needless mass layoffs of government workers and disruption of social services.

Anthony Hudson

A native Texan, Anthony Hudson moved to Michigan 13 years ago. He’s a truck driver who describes himself as a “hardworking Michigan conservative.” Hudson ran for a U.S. House seat in 2024, but came in third place in the Republican primary.

Evan Space

Evan Space is a Traverse City resident who is running as a Republican in the 2026 gubernatorial race. He previously ran for governor in 2022 as an independent write-in candidate. According to his campaign website, he’s an entrepreneur who spent eight years in the Michigan Army National Guard.

Marni Sawicki

Marni Sawicki began her career in public service when she was elected mayor of Cape Coral, Florida, in 2013. Her website biography states she was the first woman and first Democrat in decades to win a seat in Florida’s deep red Lee County. Sawicki was born and raised in Battle Creek and moved back to Michigan in 2021, where she now manages shopping malls.