Poll: Where Michigan voters stand on attorney general, secretary of state races 1 month before election

Dana Nessel, Jocelyn Benson expand leads over GOP opponents

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addresses the media during a news conference, Thursday, March 5, 2020, in Lansing, Mich. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP) (Matthew Dae Smith)

DETROIT – Michigan Democratic incumbents for two major statewide offices have growing leads over their Republican opponents one month out from the November election, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.

Results from a survey of Michigan voters conducted between Sept. 26-29 found that Democratic incumbent Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Michigan Democratic incumbent Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have increased their leads over their Republican opponents in the last month.

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Here are some of the key findings from this portion of the survey:

Nessel grows lead in AG race

  • Democrat Nessel leads Republican opponent Matt DePerno by 12 points as of October -- a 6-point increase from September.
  • 21.6% of voters who have heard of Nessel view her favorably, while 18.4% of voters who know of her view her unfavorably. 18.3% of voters had no opinion of Nessel.
    • 39.7% of voters have not heard of Nessel.
  • 4.7% of voters who have heard of DePerno view him favorably, while 8.8% view him unfavorably. 12.5% of voters had no opinion of DePerno.
    • 71.3% of voters have not heard of DePerno.
    • 70.9% of voters who identify as “strong Republican” have never heard of DePerno.
  • Nessel leads among “strong Democratic” and leaning Democratic voters, and a portion (30.4%) of Independent voters.
    • 32.2% of Independent voters were still undecided in this race.

Benson grows lead in SOS race

  • Democrat Benson leads GOP opponent Kristina Karamo by 17 points in October, a nearly 7-point increase from September.
  • Of the 58.5% of Michigan voters who have heard of Benson, 25.9% view her favorably, while 12.1% view her unfavorably. 20.4% of voters had no opinion of Benson.
    • 40% of voters have not heard of Benson.
  • Of the 27.6% of voters who have heard of Karamo, 3.8% view her favorably, and 8% view her unfavorably. 15.8% of voters had no opinion of Karamo.
    • 70.4% of voters have not heard of Karamo.
    • 74.1% of voters who identify as “strong Republican” have never heard of Karamo.
  • Benson leads most among “strong Democratic” and leaning Democratic voters, but also secures 36.5% of Independent voters, the poll shows.
    • 27.8% of Independent voters were still undecided in this race.

Methodology

The Glengariff Group, Inc. conducted a Michigan statewide survey of November 2022 likely general election voters. The 600 sample, live operator telephone survey was conducted on September 26-29, 2022 and has a margin of error of +/-4.0% with a 95% level of confidence. 25.9% of respondents were contacted via landline telephone. 74.1% of respondents were contacted via cell phone telephone. This survey was commissioned by WDIV Local 4 News and the Detroit News.


See the poll results from September right here to compare.


About the Author

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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