2022 Michigan Attorney General election
The 2022 Michigan Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of the state of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel ran for re-election to a second term. She was first elected in 2018 with 49.0% of the vote.
Michigan does not hold partisan primaries for statewide offices other than governor. Instead, the state parties hold conventions in August to nominate candidates for the general election. Party nomination conventions were held on April 9 for the Michigan Democratic Party and April 23 for the Michigan Republican Party.
In August 2022, Reuters reported that presumptive Republican nominee Matthew DePerno "led a team that gained unauthorized access to voting equipment while hunting for evidence to support former President Donald Trump’s false election-fraud claims" following the 2020 election. Gaining unauthorized access to voting machines is a felony in Michigan. Current Michigan Attorney General Nessel requested the appointment of an independent specialist prosecutor to investigate DePerno and his team. DePerno and former state representative Daire Rendon were indicted by a grand jury on August 1, 2023. In contrast, during his campaign, DePerno criticized Nessel, as well as Governor Gretchen Whitmer, for their policies during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and accused Nessel of abusing her powers to silence her political rivals and of attacking the First Amendment, arguing her aforementioned appointing of an independent special prosecutor to investigate DePerno's unauthorized election investigation was one of these attacks.
This election marked the first time since 1998 that Democrats had won consecutively, and the first since 1994 that an incumbent Democrat had won re-election. It was also the best performance by a Democrat since 1998, and the worst performance by a Republican since 2002.
Democratic Party
Candidates
Nominee
- Dana Nessel, incumbent attorney general
Endorsements
Republican Party
Candidates
Nominee
- Matthew DePerno, private attorney ''''
Eliminated at convention
- Ryan Berman, state representative from the 39th district
- Tom Leonard, former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and nominee in 2018
Endorsements
General election
Predictions
Post-primary endorsements
Polling
Graphical summary| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dana Nessel | Matthew DePerno | Other | Undecided |
| Cygnal | November 1–4, 2022 | 1,603 | ± 2.5% | 48% | 44% | 3% | 6% |
| Mitchell Research | November 3, 2022 | 658 | ± 3.8% | 47% | 44% | 1% | 8% |
| Cygnal | October 31 – November 2, 2022 | 1,754 | ± 2.3% | 47% | 43% | 3% | 7% |
| EPIC-MRA | October 28 – November 1, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 48% | 42% | 3% | 7% |
| Cygnal | October 27–31, 2022 | 1,584 | ± 2.5% | 47% | 42% | 3% | 8% |
| Cygnal | October 25–29, 2022 | 1,543 | ± 2.5% | 47% | 41% | 4% | 8% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | October 26–28, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 43% | 5% | 8% |
| Cygnal | October 23–27, 2022 | 1,822 | ± 2.3% | 46% | 42% | 4% | 8% |
| Cygnal | October 21–25, 2022 | 1,378 | ± 2.6% | 46% | 43% | 4% | 7% |
| Cygnal | October 19–23, 2022 | 1,459 | ± 2.6% | 45% | 43% | 3% | 8% |
| Cygnal | October 17–21, 2022 | 1,904 | ± 2.3% | 45% | 42% | 4% | 9% |
| Mitchell Research | October 19, 2022 | 541 | ± 4.2% | 46% | 43% | 3% | 8% |
| Cygnal | October 15–19, 2022 | 1,793 | ± 2.3% | 45% | 43% | 4% | 9% |
| Cygnal | October 12–14, 2022 | 640 | ± 3.9% | 45% | 43% | 3% | 8% |
| EPIC-MRA | October 6–12, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 39% | 4% | 14% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | September 26–29, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 30% | 7% | 18% |
| The Trafalgar Group | September 24–28, 2022 | 1,075 | ± 2.9% | 48% | 45% | 3% | 4% |
| EPIC-MRA | September 15–19, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 48% | 39% | – | 13% |
| EPIC-MRA | September 7–13, 2022 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 48% | 40% | 7% | 5% |
| The Trafalgar Group | August 22–25, 2022 | 1080 | ± 2.9% | 49% | 47% | – | 4% |
| EPIC-MRA | August 18–23, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 39% | – | 18% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | July 5–8, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 38% | – | 18% |
| Target Insyght | May 26–27, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 54% | 23% | – | 23% |
| EPIC-MRA | May 11–17, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 43% | 41% | – | 16% |
| ARW Strategies | April 18–20, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 42% | 41% | – | 17% |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | January 3–7, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | 34% | – | 22% |
Dana Nessel vs. Tom Leonard
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dana Nessel | Tom Leonard | Undecided |
| The Glengariff Group, Inc. | January 3–7, 2022 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 42% | 36% | 23% |
Fundraising
Results
By congressional district
Nessel won eight of 13 congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.| District | Nessel | DePerno | Representative |
| 43% | 55% | Jack Bergman | |
| 39% | 58% | John Moolenaar | |
| 55% | 43% | Peter Meijer | |
| 55% | 43% | Hillary Scholten | |
| 48% | 49% | Bill Huizenga | |
| 39% | 58% | Tim Walberg | |
| 65% | 33% | Debbie Dingell | |
| 53% | 45% | Elissa Slotkin | |
| 54% | 44% | Dan Kildee | |
| 39% | 58% | Lisa McClain | |
| 54% | 44% | John James | |
| 63% | 35% | Haley Stevens | |
| 74% | 24% | Rashida Tlaib | |
| 75% | 22% | Shri Thanedar |