| Election Name: | 2018 Michigan Attorney General Election |
| Country: | Michigan |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2014 Michigan Attorney General election |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2022 Michigan Attorney General election |
| Next Year: | 2022 |
| Nominee1: | Dana Nessel |
| Image1: | File:Dana Nessel 20190202 110126 (cropped).jpg |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,031,117 |
| Percentage1: | 49.04% |
| Nominee2: | Tom Leonard |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,916,117 |
| Percentage2: | 46.26% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Attorney General | |
| Before Election: | Bill Schuette |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Dana Nessel |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2018 Michigan Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, alongside elections to elect Michigan's governor, Class I United States Senator, Secretary of State, as well elections for Michigan's 14 seats in the United States House of Representatives, all 38 seats in the Michigan Senate and all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives; to elect the Secretary of State of Michigan. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette was prohibited from seeking a third term due to term limits and unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Michigan instead. The Michigan GOP was unsuccessful in looking to win its 5th straight attorney general election. Along with the offices of Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State, the nominees for attorney general were chosen by party delegates at their respective party conventions.
Nessel defeated Leonard by 115,000 votes, becoming the first Democratic attorney general of Michigan since 2003, when Jennifer Granholm left office to become governor.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tom Leonard (R) | Dana Nessel (D) | Other | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group | October 25–27, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 45% | 5% | 17% | ||
| EPIC-MRA | October 18–23, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 39% | 39% | 9% | 13% | ||
| Michigan State University | October 13–22, 2018 | 169 (RV) | – | 40% | 37% | – | – | ||
| Marketing Resource Group | October 14–18, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 39% | 10% | 16% | ||
| Glengariff Group | September 30 – October 2, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 32% | 39% | 6% | 24% | ||
| EPIC-MRA | September 21–25, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 32% | 38% | 11% | 19% | ||
| Glengariff Group | September 5–7, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 42% | 5% | 24% |
| Campaign finance reports as of October 21, 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand | |
| Tom Leonard (R) | $1,988,558.29 | $1,900,406.09 | $88,152.20 | |
| Dana Nessel (D) | $1,573,966.91 | $1,329,134.98 | $244,831.93 | |
| Source: Michigan Department of State[10] | ||||
Despite losing the state, Leonard won 9 of 14 congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats.[11]
| District | Leonard | Nessel | Representative | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56% | 39% | Jack Bergman | ||||
| 56% | 39% | Bill Huizenga | ||||
| 52% | 43% | Justin Amash | ||||
| 58% | 36% | John Moolenaar | ||||
| 44% | 51% | Dan Kildee | ||||
| 51% | 44% | Fred Upton | ||||
| 53% | 42% | Tim Walberg | ||||
| 49% | 46% | Mike Bishop | ||||
| Elissa Slotkin | ||||||
| 40% | 55% | Sander Levin | ||||
| Andy Levin | ||||||
| 60% | 36% | |||||
| Paul Mitchell | ||||||
| 48.3% | 48.0% | Dave Trott | ||||
| Haley Stevens | ||||||
| 32% | 64% | Debbie Dingell | ||||
| 17% | 79% | Brenda Jones | ||||
| Rashida Tlaib | ||||||
| 19% | 78% | Brenda Lawrence |