Resolution Criteria

The 2026 Michigan gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026. This market resolves YES if Jocelyn Benson wins the general election and becomes governor. Resolution will be determined by official election results from the Michigan Secretary of State's office or major news outlets reporting the final outcome.

Background

Jocelyn Benson announced her candidacy for Michigan governor in January 2025 to succeed incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited and ineligible to run again. Benson is the first Democrat to announce that she is seeking the 2026 Democratic nomination. She was reelected as Secretary of State in 2022, defeating Republican Kristina Karamo by a margin of 14 percentage points, setting a record for the largest margin and vote share among statewide candidates that year.

Benson and Republican U.S. Representative John James are the frontrunners for their respective nominations. Independent Mike Duggan's bid for governor is expected to make the race more competitive. A January poll of likely general election voters showed a general election tossup: James at 34%, Benson at 32% and Duggan at 26%.

Considerations

Michigan could do something this fall that it hasn't done in more than 65 years: elect a Democrat to succeed a Democratic governor. This will be one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, making the race particularly competitive despite recent Democratic strength in statewide races.

This description was generated by AI.