A new statewide poll shows Michigan's race for Attorney General is essentially a coin flip, with Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit holding a razor-thin edge over Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd. Savit pulled 36.3% support to Lloyd's 35.0%, a gap well within the survey's margin of error, while nearly 30% of respondents said they were undecided or declined to answer.
The poll, conducted for WDIV ClickOnDetroit and The Detroit News, surveyed 600 likely voters using live-operator telephone calls between last Monday and last Thursday. About 85% of respondents were reached by cellphone and 15% by landline, according to the outlet's report. The Glengariff Group, Inc. conducted the survey, which carried a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.0%.
With Savit's lead sitting at just 1.3 points, the same report notes that other candidates on the ballot registered 0.0% support among those polled, leaving the contest a two-way race in the eyes of voters surveyed. Nearly three in ten respondents, 28.8%, told pollsters they remained undecided or refused to answer when asked about the upcoming November general election.
A Historic Prosecutor-Versus-Prosecutor Matchup
The tight numbers underscore just how unusual this race is. According to Hoodline, 2026 marks the first time since 1948 that both major-party nominees for Michigan Attorney General are actively serving county prosecutors. Savit leads the prosecutor's office in Washtenaw County, while Lloyd has held the same post in Eaton County since 2013.
Neither man appeared on the August primary ballot because Michigan selects its Attorney General nominees through party delegate conventions rather than open primaries, as explained by WZZM 13. Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel could not seek a third term because of the state's constitutional term limits after two consecutive four-year terms, according to Ballotpedia, leaving the office open for the first time since her 2018 election.
How Each Candidate Won Their Nomination
Savit's path to the nomination was hardly assured. Per Legal News, he defeated Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in an underdog victory at the Democratic Party's state endorsement convention in Detroit, despite McDonald having locked up major union endorsements beforehand. Savit previously served as senior legal counsel to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor, per the Washtenaw County government website.
Lloyd, meanwhile, secured the Republican nomination at the Michigan GOP state convention by defeating Birmingham attorney Kevin Kijewski, The State AG Report reports. His resume includes 30 years as a prosecutor and a stint leading an Economic Crimes Unit that recovered more than $9 million for local businesses through diversion programs, according to CBS News.
Progressive Reform Versus Traditional Enforcement
The two men represent starkly different approaches to criminal justice, a divide that has already shaped the campaign. Republican opponents and conservative groups have criticized Savit's policies in Washtenaw County, including ending cash bail and declining to prosecute entheogenic plants, though Savit clarified in July that state attorneys general lack statutory jurisdiction to dictate local prosecutorial discretion, per CBS News Detroit. Lloyd has campaigned on a traditional law-and-order platform, and Hoodline has previously reported on how the drug-prosecution controversy has haunted Savit's campaign.
Organized labor has thrown its weight behind Savit. The United Auto Workers endorsed him for Attorney General, specifically citing his creation of Michigan's only dedicated prosecutor-led worker and consumer protection unit, the union announced. Hoodline also reported that UAW President Shawn Fain rallied 11,000 people at a Detroit Labor Day march backing Savit alongside the rest of the state Democratic ticket.
Third-Party Candidates Round Out the Ballot
Voters will see more than two names when they reach the Attorney General line in November. Green Party nominee Jeff Polonowski, Libertarian Party nominee Jason Dye, and U.S. Taxpayers Party nominee John Perry Ludtke Jr. all appear on the general election ballot, according to Ballotpedia, though the WDIV/Detroit News poll found no measurable support for candidates outside the two major parties.
Whoever wins will take charge of an office with broad reach, from utility rate oversight and consumer protection to environmental enforcement and challenges to federal policy. With the race this close and nearly 30% of the electorate still undecided, both campaigns have roughly two months to sway a decisive bloc of voters before the November general election.
