Michigan Governor 2026
Polling average and every underlying poll — published numbers come only from the precomputed race_averages table.
Jocelyn Benson (D) 50.5% vs John James (R) 42.3%
27 polls in the average · latest Nov 1, 2026 · weighted by recency (45-day half-life) and sample size
Matchup: verified nominees ✓ · Avg pollster grade 2.6 / 3.0
Every poll in the average
Each poll appears as two dots at its end date. Dashed lines mark the current published average — no trend line is drawn, by design.
Polls in this average
Selection matches refresh_race_averages(): general-election polls of this race that tested both Jocelyn Benson and John James. Partisan and internal polls are included in the average (flagged below), matching the published methodology.
| Pollster | Grade | Dates | Sample | Benson % | James % | Margin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Times/Siena University | 3.0 | Oct 23 – Nov 1, 2026 | 1,011 LV | 52 | 39 | D+13.0 | ↗ |
| YouGov | 3.0 | Oct 26–29, 2026 | 2,093 LV | 52 | 46 | D+6.0 | ↗ |
| CNN/SSRS | — | Oct 20–27, 2026 | 768 LV | 53 | 41 | D+12.0 | ↗ |
| Guidant Polling and Strategy | — | Sep 20 – Oct 27, 2026 | 800 LV | 50 | 45 | D+5.0 | ↗ |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | 2.4 | Oct 26–27, 2026 | 636 LV | 49 | 44 | D+5.0 | ↗ |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | — | Oct 8–23, 2026 | 1,383 LV | 50.9 | 41.5 | D+9.4 | ↗ |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | — | Oct 19–22, 2026 | 600 LV | 51.4 | 44.5 | D+6.9 | ↗ |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | — | Oct 2–19, 2026 | 836 LV | 53.3 | 40.9 | D+12.4 | ↗ |
| Marist University | — | Oct 15–18, 2026 | — | 51 | 45 | D+6.0 | ↗ |
| Z to A ResearchD partisan | — | Sep 28 – Oct 1, 2026 | 483 LV | 50 | 40 | D+10.0 | ↗ |
| Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research | 2.8 | Sep 24–28, 2026 | 1,028 LV | 54 | 45 | D+9.0 | ↗ |
| co/efficient | 1.1 | Sep 21–23, 2026 | 843 LV | 47 | 44 | D+3.0 | ↗ |
| The New York Times/Siena University | 3.0 | Sep 15–22, 2026 | 605 LV | 48 | 43 | D+5.0 | ↗ |
| Cygnal/Beacon Research | — | Sep 18–21, 2026 | 600 LV | 45 | 38 | D+7.0 | ↗ |
| Suffolk University | 2.9 | Sep 16–20, 2026 | 500 LV | 51 | 34 | D+17.0 | ↗ |
| Emerson College | 2.9 | Sep 12–14, 2026 | 1,000 LV | 48.6 | 41.9 | D+6.7 | ↗ |
| The Washington Post/George Mason University School of Policy and Government | 2.7 | Sep 10–14, 2026 | 803 LV | 53 | 41 | D+12.0 | ↗ |
| EPIC-MRA | 1.9 | Aug 22–28, 2026 | 600 LV | 45 | 41 | D+4.0 | ↗ |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | — | Aug 10–20, 2026 | 779 LV | 52 | 43 | D+9.0 | ↗ |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | — | Aug 10–20, 2026 | 913 RV | 49 | 39 | D+10.0 | ↗ |
| Fabrizio, Lee & Associates/Impact Research | 1.7 | Aug 9–11, 2026 | 877 LV | 49 | 44 | D+5.0 | ↗ |
| Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research | 2.8 | Aug 6–10, 2026 | 1,006 RV | 52 | 47 | D+5.0 | ↗ |
| EPIC-MRA | 1.9 | Jul 24–31, 2026 | 600 LV | 47 | 38 | D+9.0 | |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | 2.4 | Jul 28–29, 2026 | 672 LV | 46 | 44 | D+2.0 | ↗ |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | — | Jul 22–24, 2026 | 600 LV | 43.7 | 38.7 | D+5.0 | ↗ |
| TIPP InsightsR partisan | 1.8 | May 20–23, 2026 | 1,456 RV | 46 | 35 | D+11.0 | ↗ |
| TIPP Insights | 1.8 | May 20–23, 2026 | 1,163 LV | 49 | 38 | D+11.0 | ↗ |
Other 2026 Governor polls in Michigan
General-election polls for this race that are not in the average — they tested a different matchup than Benson vs James. Shown for transparency; primaries are excluded entirely.
| Pollster | Dates | Top results |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Jul 28–29, 2026 | Jocelyn Benson 48 · Perry Johnson 43 |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Jul 22–24, 2026 | Jocelyn Benson 47.7 · Perry Johnson 37.4 |
Candidates
- Jocelyn Benson
- John James
- Perry Johnson
Party labels curated from public sources.