The Michigan Secretary of State election of 2018 took place on November 6, 2018, alongside Michigan's governor, Class I United States Senator, Attorney General, 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 Secretary of State Ruth Johnson could not seek a third term due to term limits. The Michigan Republican Party was looking to win its 7th straight Secretary of State election. Along with the offices of Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, the nominees for Secretary of State were chosen by party delegates at their respective party conventions.
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  Benson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Lang: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 40–50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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On November 6, 2018, Benson defeated Lang by an 8.9% margin.
Republican Party
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Mary Treder Lang, Vice Chairwoman of the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents[1]
Eliminated at convention
edit- Stan Grot, Shelby Township Clerk[2][3]
- Joseph Guzman[1]
Withdrew
edit- Mike Kowall, state Senator[4]
Endorsements
editStan Grot
Federal politicians
- Jack Bergman, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 1st congressional district[5]
- Paul Mitchell, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 10th congressional district[5]
State Government Officials
- Gary Howell, member of the Michigan House of Representatives[5]
Mary Treder Lang
State Government Officials
- Terri Lynn Land, former Michigan Secretary of State (2003-2011)[6]
Local elected officials
- Candice Miller, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner[7]
- L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive[8]
Democratic Party
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Jocelyn Benson, Former Dean of Wayne State University Law School and nominee for Secretary of State in 2010[9]
Declined
editEndorsements
editJocelyn Benson
Federal politicians
- Sander Levin, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th congressional district[10]
- Carl Levin, Former United States Senator from Michigan
State Government Officials
- Marilyn Lane, former member of the Michigan House of Representatives (2011-2017)[11]
Local elected officials
- Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive and former Macomb County Sheriff (2000-2010)[10]
- Bob Smith, chairman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners[11]
- Eric Smith, Macomb County Prosecutor[11]
- Anthony Wickersham, Macomb County Sheriff[10]
Minor parties
editLibertarian Party
edit- Gregory Stempfle[2]
General election
editPredictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Governing magazine[12] | Lean D (flip) | June 4, 2018 |
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Mary Treder Lang (R) |
Jocelyn Benson (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group[13] | October 25–27, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 45% | 4%[b] | 17% |
| EPIC-MRA[14] | October 18–23, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 36% | 40% | 7%[c] | 17% |
| Marketing Resource Group[15] | October 14–18, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 33% | 41% | 3%[d] | 17% |
| Glengariff Group[16] | September 30 – October 2, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 41% | 7% | 23% |
| EPIC-MRA[17] | September 21–25, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 31% | 40% | 10%[e] | 19% |
| Glengariff Group[18] | September 5–7, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 44% | 5% | 23% |
Fundraising
edit| Campaign finance reports as of October 21, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Jocelyn Benson (D) | $1,420,090.57 | $1,120,241.74 | $306,333.15 |
| Mary Treder Lang (R) | $671,165.36 | $562,880.13 | $108,285.23 |
| Source: Michigan Department of State[19] | |||
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jocelyn Benson | 2,213,243 | 52.90% | +9.96% | |
| Republican | Mary Treder Lang | 1,840,118 | 43.98% | −9.55% | |
| Libertarian | Gregory Stempfle | 81,849 | 1.96% | −0.02% | |
| Constitution | Robert Gale | 48,816 | 1.17% | +0.05% | |
| Total votes | 4,184,026 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Gray, Kathleen (September 19, 2017). "2018 races getting crowded for attorney general, secretary of state". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Gray, Kathleen (August 15, 2017). "Attorney Dana Nessel, known for defense of same-sex marriage, jumps into AG's race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^ Hotts, Mitch (August 20, 2017). "Shelby Township clerk Stan Grot to announce Secretary of State candidacy". Macomb Daily. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ a b Oosting, Jonathan (September 21, 2017). "Kowall withdraws from Michigan SOS race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Endorsements". Stan Grot For Michigan SOS.[permanent dead link]
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/marytrederlangforsos/posts/820063224870554 [user-generated source]
- ^ "Candice Miller endorses Mary Treder Lang for Secretary of State". Mary Treder Lang for Secretary of State. January 29, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "L. Brooks Patterson Endorses Mary Treder Lang for SOS". Mary Treder Lang for Secretary of State. February 11, 2018. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Egan, Paul (October 17, 2017). "Attorney Jocelyn Benson is first Democrat in race for Michigan Secretary of State". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ a b c Hotts, Mitch (October 18, 2017). "Macomb Dems to back Jocelyn Benson for secretary of state". The Macomb Daily. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c Joseph, Gina (October 18, 2017). "Jocelyn Benson racks up endorsements for Michigan secretary of state". The Macomb Daily. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ^ Jacobson, Louis (June 4, 2018). "Secretary of State Races Are More Competitive and Important Than Ever". Governing. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ Glengariff Group
- ^ EPIC-MRA
- ^ Marketing Resource Group
- ^ Glengariff Group
- ^ EPIC-MRA
- ^ Glengariff Group
- ^ "Campaign finance data". Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018".
External links
editOfficial campaign websites