Crain’s Detroit Business
May 12, 2026
David Eggert
Democrat Jocelyn Benson leads the Michigan governor’s race while independent Mike Duggan has slipped to third place in a hypothetical matchup that includes Republican John James, according to new polling from the Detroit Regional Chamber.
It is a shift from three months ago, when the three candidates were in a dead heat in the last Glengariff Group survey that was commissioned by the business group, which has endorsed Duggan, a former Democrat.
In the May 3 poll, Benson climbed to 34.2% among likely general election voters (from 28% in the survey that was done Jan. 27-Feb. 2), James held steady at 29.2% (28.9% previously) and Duggan fell to 23% (from 30.1%).
“Leaning Democratic voters have coalesced behind the Democratic nominee,” pollster Richard Czuba said. “It’s an open question I’ve had for the last year-and-a-half. Will voters go back to where they were, what they’ve always done? In the case of the Democratic voters, this is a referendum on Donald Trump. That’s how they are viewing this election. And they have shifted and moved behind their nominee.”