Brian Calley President and Chief Executive Officer at Small Business Association of Michigan | LinkedIn
Brian Calley President and Chief Executive Officer at Small Business Association of Michigan | LinkedIn
U.S. Representative John James and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have emerged as early favorites for their respective parties in the 2026 gubernatorial race, according to a recent poll by Mitchell Research and Communications. James leads the Republican contenders with 28 percent support, closely followed by Tudor Dixon at 27 percent. Other Republican figures such as Adam Rinke, Tom Leonard, and Senator Aric Nesbitt received minimal support.
On the Democratic side, Buttigieg garnered 38 percent of the vote, with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson trailing at 18 percent. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, and Senator Mallory McMorrow received lower levels of support.
The poll also revealed significant uncertainty among voters, with "not sure" leading among Republicans at 41 percent and ranking second among Democrats at 36 percent.
In a hypothetical two-way presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump holds a slight edge with 49 percent compared to Harris' 48 percent. However, both candidates are tied at 47 percent in an eight-way question scenario. The mention of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s endorsement boosts Trump's support to 52 percent against Harris' 44 percent in this context.
The survey was conducted on September 30 with a sample size of 709 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.68 percent.
In Michigan's Senate race, Democratic U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin maintains a five-point lead over Republican Mike Rogers, standing at 49 to 44 percent according to a MIRS-Michigan News Source survey released recently.
The same survey shows Trump and Harris tied again at 47 percent each among Michigan voters. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Green Party nominee Jill Stein, and Libertarian Chase Oliver trail significantly behind.
Steve Mitchell from Mitchell Research & Communications commented on the tightness of the presidential race: “That Trump and Harris continue to be statistically tied is further evidence of how tight this race ultimately is going to be.”
Voter enthusiasm appears slightly higher among Democrats than Republicans; however, this gap has narrowed since previous polls.
Both Harris and Trump face unfavorable ratings from less than half of those surveyed—Harris stands at a favorable rating of 48 percent while Trump is slightly lower at 45 percent.
In terms of fundraising for the Senate race, Slotkin has outpaced Rogers significantly but outside political action committees plan to spend $30 million in ads supporting Rogers—a development described as a "game changer" by Mitchell.
The poll included respondents who mostly voted for Joe Biden in the last election cycle but also featured undecided voters expressing dissatisfaction with both major party candidates.
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