The 2022 Michigan Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of the state of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel ran for re-election to a second term. She was first elected in 2018 with 49.0% of the vote.
November 8, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
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Nessel: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% DePerno: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: | |||||||||||||||||
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Michigan does not hold partisan primaries for statewide offices other than governor. Instead, the state parties hold conventions in August to nominate candidates for the general election. Party nomination conventions were held on April 9 for the Michigan Democratic Party and April 23 for the Michigan Republican Party.
In August 2022, Reuters reported that presumptive Republican nominee Matthew DePerno "led a team that gained unauthorized access to voting equipment while hunting for evidence to support former President Donald Trump’s false election-fraud claims" following the 2020 election. Gaining unauthorized access to voting machines is a felony in Michigan. Current Michigan Attorney General Nessel requested the appointment of an independent specialist prosecutor to investigate DePerno and his team. DePerno and former state representative Daire Rendon were indicted by a grand jury on August 1, 2023. In contrast, during his campaign, DePerno criticized Nessel, as well as Governor Gretchen Whitmer, for their policies during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and accused Nessel of abusing her powers to silence her political rivals and of attacking the First Amendment, arguing her aforementioned appointing of an independent special prosecutor to investigate DePerno's unauthorized election investigation was one of these attacks.
This election marked the first time since 1998 that Democrats had won consecutively, and the first since 1994 that an incumbent Democrat had won re-election. It was also the best performance by a Democrat since 1998, and the worst performance by a Republican since 2002.
Democratic Party
Candidates
Nominee
- Dana Nessel, incumbent attorney general
Endorsements
Organizations
- Democracy for America
- Giffords
- Michigan Democratic Party
- NARAL Pro-Choice America
Labor unions
- American Federation of Teachers
Republican Party
Candidates
Nominee
- Matthew DePerno, private attorney (endorsed by state party)
Eliminated at convention
- Ryan Berman, state representative from the 39th district
- Tom Leonard, former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and nominee in 2018
Endorsements
U.S. Executive Branch officials
- Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States (2017–2021)
Organizations
- Michigan Republican Party
Organizations
- Central Michigan College Republicans
- Ferris State College Republicans
- Michigan Federation of College Republicans
- Right to Life of Michigan
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Leans D | November 3, 2022 |
| Elections Daily | Leans D | November 1, 2022 |
Post-primary endorsements
U.S. Executive Branch officials
- Pete Buttigieg, 19th United States Secretary of Transportation (2021–present) and Mayor of South Bend (2012–2020)
- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States (2009–2017) and U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005–2008)
Organizations
- Human Rights Campaign
- National Wildlife Federation
Newspapers
- Detroit Free Press
- The Michigan Daily
Polling
Graphical summary
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dana Nessel (D) | Matthew DePerno (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cygnal (R) | November 1–4, 2022 | 1,603 (LV) | ± 2.5% | 48% | 44% | 3% | 6% |
| Mitchell Research | November 3, 2022 | 658 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 47% | 44% | 1% | 8% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 31 – November 2, 2022 | 1,754 (LV) | ± 2.3% | 47% | 43% | 3% | 7% |
| EPIC-MRA | October 28 – November 1, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 48% | 42% | 3% | 7% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 27–31, 2022 | 1,584 (LV) | ± 2.5% | 47% | 42% | 3% | 8% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 25–29, 2022 | 1,543 (LV) | ± 2.5% | 47% | 41% | 4% | 8% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | October 26–28, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 44% | 43% | 5% | 8% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 23–27, 2022 | 1,822 (LV) | ± 2.3% | 46% | 42% | 4% | 8% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 21–25, 2022 | 1,378 (LV) | ± 2.6% | 46% | 43% | 4% | 7% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 19–23, 2022 | 1,459 (LV) | ± 2.6% | 45% | 43% | 3% | 8% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 17–21, 2022 | 1,904 (LV) | ± 2.3% | 45% | 42% | 4% | 9% |
| Mitchell Research | October 19, 2022 | 541 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 46% | 43% | 3% | 8% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 15–19, 2022 | 1,793 (LV) | ± 2.3% | 45% | 43% | 4% | 9% |
| Cygnal (R) | October 12–14, 2022 | 640 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 45% | 43% | 3% | 8% |
| EPIC-MRA | October 6–12, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 39% | 4% | 14% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | September 26–29, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 30% | 7% | 18% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | September 24–28, 2022 | 1,075 (LV) | ± 2.9% | 48% | 45% | 3% | 4% |
| EPIC-MRA | September 15–19, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 48% | 39% | – | 13% |
| EPIC-MRA | September 7–13, 2022 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 48% | 40% | 7% | 5% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | August 22–25, 2022 | 1080 (LV) | ± 2.9% | 49% | 47% | – | 4% |
| EPIC-MRA | August 18–23, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 39% | – | 18% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | July 5–8, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 44% | 38% | – | 18% |
| Target Insyght | May 26–27, 2022 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 54% | 23% | – | 23% |
| EPIC-MRA | May 11–17, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 41% | – | 16% |
| ARW Strategies (R) | April 18–20, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 41% | – | 17% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | January 3–7, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 44% | 34% | – | 22% |
Dana Nessel vs. Tom Leonard
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dana Nessel (D) | Tom Leonard (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | January 3–7, 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 36% | 23% |
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of October 23, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Matthew DePerno (R) | $1,128,796.58 | $823,888.63 | $304,907.95 |
| Dana Nessel (D) | $5,437,349.35 | $5,192,193.84 | $166,649.18 |
| Source: Michigan Department of State | |||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dana Nessel (incumbent) | 2,329,195 | 53.16% | +4.12% | |
| Republican | Matthew DePerno | 1,952,408 | 44.56% | −1.70% | |
| Libertarian | Joseph W. McHugh Jr. | 67,846 | 1.55% | −0.55% | |
| Constitution | Gerald T. Van Sickle | 32,431 | 0.74% | −0.18% | |
| Total votes | 4,381,880 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By congressional district
Nessel won eight of 13 congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.
| District | Nessel | DePerno | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 43% | 55% | Jack Bergman |
| 2nd | 39% | 58% | John Moolenaar |
| 3rd | 55% | 43% | Peter Meijer (117th Congress) |
| Hillary Scholten (118th Congress) | |||
| 4th | 48% | 49% | Bill Huizenga |
| 5th | 39% | 58% | Tim Walberg |
| 6th | 65% | 33% | Debbie Dingell |
| 7th | 53% | 45% | Elissa Slotkin |
| 8th | 54% | 44% | Dan Kildee |
| 9th | 39% | 58% | Lisa McClain |
| 10th | 54% | 44% | John James |
| 11th | 63% | 35% | Haley Stevens |
| 12th | 74% | 24% | Rashida Tlaib |
| 13th | 75% | 22% | Shri Thanedar |
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