Michigan Governor polls
Jocelyn Benson (D) vs John James (R). The polls in the poll average, each with its weight and source, then every public poll on file. The forecast itself lives on the race page.
Poll averageD+7.2the polls’ average, each as published · same figure as the race page
Polls4242 on file · 37 in the poll average · 5 not counted
Latest field dateOct 18Eligible polls: latest poll: 2026-10-18 (6 days old)
EditionOct 23the poll average and its weights as of this edition
The polls and the poll average
drag or tap for a day · tap a dot for its pollOct 23, 2026D+7.2today's poll average of 37 polls
- poll in the average · area is its weight
- not counted · shown, never moves the line
- trend through the counted polls · ends on today's average
- left of the break: 4 earlier polls, not on the time axis
The line is a trend, not the average as it stood each day: the same polls and weights, with each poll leaning in smoothly over the weeks before its date. It starts at the first counted poll and ends on today's average.
Data table
| Days | Average as it stood | Trend line |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2026 | D+7.2 | D+7.2 |
| Oct 18–Oct 22, 2026 | D+7.2 | D+7.2 |
| Oct 4–Oct 17, 2026 | D+7.4 | D+7.4 to D+7.2 |
| Oct 1–Oct 3, 2026 | D+7.7 | D+7.4 |
| Sep 28–Sep 30, 2026 | D+7.6 | D+7.5 to D+7.4 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | D+7.5 | D+7.5 |
| Sep 23–Sep 26, 2026 | D+7.3 | D+7.6 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | D+7.7 | D+7.6 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | D+7.9 | D+7.5 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | D+7.9 | D+7.5 |
| Sep 19, 2026 | D+7.2 | D+7.5 |
| Sep 14–Sep 18, 2026 | D+7.9 | D+7.6 to D+7.5 |
| Sep 6–Sep 13, 2026 | D+7.4 | D+7.6 |
| Sep 3–Sep 5, 2026 | D+7.1 | D+7.5 to D+7.6 |
| Aug 28–Sep 2, 2026 | D+7.3 | D+7.4 |
| Aug 20–Aug 27, 2026 | D+7.7 | D+7.5 to D+7.4 |
| Aug 11–Aug 19, 2026 | D+7.5 | D+7.5 |
| Aug 10, 2026 | D+8.0 | D+7.5 |
| Jul 31–Aug 9, 2026 | D+6.8 | D+6.9 to D+7.5 |
| Jul 29–Jul 30, 2026 | D+6.2 | D+6.8 to D+6.9 |
| Jul 24–Jul 28, 2026 | D+7.1 | D+6.7 to D+6.8 |
| Jun 13–Jul 23, 2026 | D+7.6 | D+7.6 to D+6.7 |
| May 23–Jun 12, 2026 | D+7.0 | D+7.0 to D+7.6 |
| May 7–May 22, 2026 | D+5.3 | D+5.3 to D+7.0 |
| May 1–May 6, 2026 | D+3.3 | D+4.5 to D+5.3 |
| Mar 29–Apr 30, 2026 | D+2.9 | D+2.9 to D+4.3 |
| Mar 24–Mar 28, 2026 | D+2.6 | D+2.7 to D+2.9 |
| Feb 16–Mar 23, 2026 | D+0.1 | D+0.1 to D+2.7 |
| Feb 2–Feb 15, 2026 | R+1.6 | R+1.6 to Even |
| Jan 6–Feb 1, 2026 | R+1.3 | R+1.3 to R+1.6 |
| Nov 21–Jan 5, 2026 | R+3.1 | R+3.1 to R+1.4 |
| Nov 11–Nov 20, 2025 | R+1.8 | R+2.1 to R+3.0 |
| Oct 25–Nov 10, 2025 | R+2.2 | R+2.2 to R+1.9 |
| Oct 14–Oct 24, 2025 | D+1.0 | D+0.3 to R+2.2 |
The forecast then counts a poll sponsored by a party or campaign at full weight and moves its margin 2 points against that party, which leaves the average it reads the same for this race.
Every poll on file · 42
newest first37 in the poll average · 5 shown, not counted · 37 primary polls on file, not listed here
| Pollster | Fielded | Sample | Result | Added | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ●Marist UniversityGeneral | 1,185 LV | D+6.0Jocelyn Benson 51John James 45Don't know 2Someone else 2+2 other releases | 3d ago | 0.88 | Poll release | |
| ●YouGovGeneral | 3,949 LV | D+3.0Jocelyn Benson 48John James 45Don't know 6Someone else 1Would not vote 0 | 0.80 | Poll document | ||
| ●Z to A ResearchGeneral · Governor · DEM sponsor · DEM partisan | 483 LV | D+10.0Jocelyn Benson 50John James 40Anthony Hudson 4Douglas Campbell 1 | 0.46 | Pollster post | ||
| ●Mitchell Research & CommunicationsGeneral | 682 LV | D+7.0Jocelyn Benson 46John James 39Don't know 9Douglas Campbell 2Anthony Hudson 2Donna Brandenburg 2 | 0.55 | News coverage | ||
| ●Beacon Research/Shaw & Company ResearchGeneral | 1,028 LV | D+9.0Jocelyn Benson 54John James 45Don't know 1Would not vote 0Someone else 0+1 other release | 0.65 | News coverage | ||
| ●Guidant Polling and StrategyGeneral · OTH sponsor · OTH partisan | 800 LV | D+5.0Jocelyn Benson 50John James 45Don't know 5 | 0.57 | Poll document | ||
| ●Marist UniversityGeneral | 1,235 RV | D+12.0Jocelyn Benson 53John James 41Don't know 4Someone else 2 | 0.71 | Poll release | ||
| ●co/efficientGeneral | 843 LV | D+3.0Jocelyn Benson 47John James 44Don't know 8 | 0.56 | Poll release | ||
| ●The New York Times/Siena CollegeGeneral | 605 LV | D+5.6Jocelyn Benson 48.45John James 42.82Don't know 8.62Someone else 0.11 | 0.47 | News coverage | ||
| ●Cygnal/Beacon ResearchGeneral | 600 LV | D+7.0Jocelyn Benson 45John James 38Don't know 11Anthony Hudson 3Douglas Campbell 1Donna Brandenburg 0 | 0.46 | Poll release | ||
| ●Suffolk UniversityGeneral | 500 LV | D+16.2Jocelyn Benson 50.6John James 34.4Don't know 11.4Douglas Campbell 1.6Anthony Hudson 1.4Donna Brandenburg 0.4Someone else 0.2 | 0.42 | Poll release | ||
| ●Torchlight StrategiesGeneral · R sponsor · R partisan | 643 LV | D+1.0Jocelyn Benson 42John James 41 | 0.47 | Poll release |
Archive source date 2026-10-24. Archive records may be newer than the sealed forecast; inclusion here does not mean the forecast uses them.
Model rows carry what the source record provides: pollster, field dates, sample size and D/R shares where published. Archive rows come from the broad public harvest. Poll data via VoteHub, used under CC BY 4.0. Poll data from The New York Times, used under CC BY 4.0.