Mike Duggan and Jocelyn Benson
Mike Duggan and Jocelyn Benson
It’s far too early to draw too many conclusions about the 2026 governor’s race.
That being said, a Detroit News–WDIV poll shows Democratic candidate Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and independent candidate Mayor Mike Duggan splitting the Detroit vote almost evenly — a development that could boost Republicans’ chances, writes Craig Mauger of The Detroit News.
The survey, conducted by the Glengariff Group, asked 500 likely voters in Detroit’s Nov. 4 mayoral election about two potential matchups in the campaign. In one scenario, 44 percent said they would support Duggan, 42 percent Benson, 2 percent James, and another 11 percent were undecided.
Pollster Richard Czuba, founder of the Glengariff Group, told The News that “in the most Democratic stronghold in the state, Duggan splits the vote.” He also noted that Benson is getting about half of the vote in Detroit against the person who’s been the city’s mayor for 12 years.
But he added that in the 2022 governor’s race, only about 4 percent of the statewide vote came from Detroit.
The state Democratic Party has complained that Duggan might split the vote and help the Republican nominee win. The Democratic Party has been agressively going after Duggan, including posting billboards to try and tie him to MAGA money.