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The 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 6th, 2018, to elect the next Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. Incumbent Governor Rick Snyder was constitutionally limited from running for a third term in office. The election was held concurrently with elections for other statewide offices.
The Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian parties selected their nominees in a partisan primary on August 7th, 2018.
Libertarian nominee Kerry Bentivolio was elected Governor with 35.7% of the vote. Bentvolio and his running mate, Shri Thanedar, were sworn into office on January 1st, 2019.
Primary Elections[]
Republican Primary[]
Won Nomination[]
- Patrick Colbeck, state senator since 2011
- Running mate: Lisa Posthumus Lyons, Kent County Clerk since 2017; state representative, 2011-2016
Defeated in Primary[]
- Brian Calley, Lieutenant Governor since 2011
- Joseph Derose, insurance agent
- Jim Hines, physician and president of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations
- Bill Schuette, Attorney General of Michigan
- Candice Miller, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner and former U.S. Representative
- Evan Space, businessman
Declined Candidates[]
- David Agema, former Republican National Committeeman and former state representative - endorsed Patrick Colbeck
- Ruth Johnson, Michigan Secretary of State and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006 - running for state senate
- Arlan Meekhof, Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate
- Kid Rock, musician
- Jase Bolger, former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives
- Larry C. Inman, state representative
Democratic Primary[]
Won Nomination[]
- Geoffrey Fieger, attorney and nominee for governor in 1998
- Running mate: Abdullah Hammoud, state representative since 2017
Defeated in Primary[]
- Bill Cobbs, businessman
- Gretchen Whitmer, former Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate
- Bill Wild, Mayor of Westland
- Shri Thanedar, author and entrepreneur
Declined Candidates[]
- Abdul El-Sayed, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration since 2017
- Mark Bernstein, member of University of Michigan Board of Regents
- Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit since 2014
- Dan Kildee, U.S. Representative since 2013
- Andy Levin, energy consultant and son of Congressman Sander Levin - Running for Congress in MI-9
- Barbara McQuade, Deputy Attorney General, former United States Attorney
- Matt Simoncini, CEO of Lear Corporation
- John Austin, former President of the Michigan Board of Education
- Debbie Dingell, U.S. Representative since 2015
- Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive
Libertarian Primary[]
Won Primary[]
- Kerry Bentivolio, U.S. Representative since 2013
- Running mate: Shri Thanedar, entrepreneur and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2018
Defeated in Primary[]
- Mary Buzuma, Libertarian nominee in 2014
- Mark McFarlin, U.S. Taxpayers Party nominee in 2014
Declined Candidates[]
- Justin Amash, U.S. Representative since 2011 and Libertarian House Leader since 2017
- Clifford Taylor, Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, 2005-2009
- Michael J. Malik, Sr, businessman - Running for Congress in MI-11
- Andy LaCureaux, state representative
- Triston Cole, state representative
General Election[]
The general election was held on November 6th, 2018.
Results[]
Issues[]
Education[]
A February 2017 study by University of Michigan professor Brian A. Jacob, of scores of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) found that Michigan students ranked worst in the nation when it comes to proficiency growth in the four measures of the exam - mathematics, reading, writing, and science.
Energy, Environment, and Public Health[]
Enbridge Line 5[]
Enbridge Line 5 is a major oil pipeline in the Enbridge Lakehead System, which carries petroleum from western Canada to eastern Canada via the Great Lakes states, passing under the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac.
Line 5 has spilled 29 times and released at least 1.1 million gallons along its length since 1968, including vessel activity in 2018 that damaged submerged electric cables, causing a leak of 550 gallons of benzene-containing coolant and causing three dents in the pipeline. Following the damage, Michigan's two Senators - Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow - said oil should not continue flowing through Enbridge Inc.'s Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac until it's certain the pipes are in adequate shape.
Flint Water Crisis[]
The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the drinking water source for the city of Flint, Michigan was changed from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the cheaper Flint River. Due to insufficient water treatment, over 100,000 residents were potentially exposed to high levels of lead in the drinking water. After a pair of scientific studies proved lead contamination was present in the water supply, a federal state of emergency was declared in January 2016 and Flint residents were instructed to use only bottled or filtered water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. As of early 2017, the water quality had returned to acceptable levels; however, residents were instructed to continue to use bottled or filtered water until all the lead pipes have been replaced, which is expected to be completed no sooner than 2020.
Economy and Jobs[]
Since the Great Recession, unemployment in Michigan has dropped dramatically, and the state has added roughly a half-million jobs since 2011. Auto companies, the manufacturing cornerstone of the state, have posted record or near-record sales for several years in a row. Statewide, manufacturing remain the backbone of Michigan’s economy; the sector grew by nearly 135,000 jobs since 2009 to 600,000 people employed.
However, pay and prospects depend largely on where in the factory jobs are located, and Michigan hit peak employment in 2000. In 2018, despite recent growth and recovery from the Great Recession, employment remains about 250,000 jobs below that mark.
The decline mirrors a slide in Michigan’s labor force participation rate, the percentage of adults either working or looking for a job. That rate dropped from 68.7% in 2000 to 61.4% in 2017, a decline more severe than the national average.
Concurrent Elections[]
Three other statewide elected offices were contested concurrently.
Lieutenant Governor[]
Lt. Governor
Shri Thanedar
Incumbent: Brian Calley (R) - Ran for Governor; Lost Primary
| Nominees | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shri Thanedar | 1,379,918 | 35.7% | +34.4% | |
| Abdullah Hammoud | 1,345,130 | 34.8% | -12.06% | |
| Lisa P. Lyons | 1,090,019 | 28.2% | -22.72% | |
| Other | 50,249 | 1.3% | ±0% | |
| Total | 100% | |||
Attorney General[]
Attorney General Richard McLellan
Incumbent: Bill Schuette (R) - Ran for Governor; Lost Primary
| Nominees | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard McLellan | 1,419,942 | 37.8% | +35.94 | |
| Dana Nessel | 1,265,927 | 33.7% | -10.49% | |
| Tom Leonard | 1,018,001 | 27.1% | -25.01% | |
| Other | 52,590 | 1.4% | -0.44% | |
| Total | 100% | |||
Secretary of State[]
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
Incumbent: Ruth Johnson (R) - Ran for State Senate
| Nominees | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jocelyn Benson | 1,737,556 | 46.4% | +3.46% | |
| Mary Treder Lang | 1,408,019 | 37.6% | -15.93% | |
| Gregory Stimpfle | 501,794 | 13.4% | +11.42 | |
| Other | 97,363 | 2.6% | +1.05% | |
| Total | 100% | |||