- 2022 Michigan Governor Race Polls: The GOP Primary Race turns into chaos, Ryan Kelley remains the frontrunner to be seat Democratic Gretchen Whitmer.
- 49% of Michiganders approve of Governor Whitmer‘s performance as a Governor.
- According to the latest polls, the Democratic incumbent is all set to retain her seat as the Governor of Michigan.
- Google Trends: In the last 7 Days, Tudor Dixon leads the trend charts, followed by Ryan Kelley and Gretchen Whitmer.
- On Social Media Sentiment, Ryan Kelly saw a huge spike following his FBI arrest. Negative Sentiments against Governor Whitmer have been declining.
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Michigan Governor Primary 2022
The 2022 Governor Election in Michigan is set to take place on November 8th, 2022 to represent the state of Michigan. The seat is currently held by a Democrat, Gretchen Whitmer. She is running for re-election after winning the race in 2018 by 9.5 points, the best state-wide performance of any Democrat that year and significantly outrunning Clinton, who lost the state 2 years prior.
The state will be voting for the Primary election scheduled for August 2nd.
Hot in Campaign: Ryan Kelley Arrest
On June 9th, 2022, GOP front-running candidate Ryan Kelley was arrested by the FBI following a raid at his residence in Allendale. He has been charged with four misdemeanor charges related to the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan 6th. The criminal complaint alleges that Kelley knowingly entered and engaged in disorderly conduct in restricted buildings or grounds and engaged in an act of physical violence against a person or property. Following the arrest, Kelley’s campaign Facebook page posted captioning it as, “Political Prisoner.” After the release, Kelley in an interview denied the claims of any crime committed by him and claimed that the support towards his campaign has been ‘tremendous’.
2022 Michigan Governor Polls: Michigan Governor GOP Primary Polls
| Polling Company | Date |
| Average of Polls | June 23rd |
| Garrett Soldano | 9% |
| Tudor Dixon | 5.34% |
| Ryan Kelley | 13.67% |
| Kevin Rinke | 11% |
| EPIC- MRA | June 13th |
| Garrett Soldano | 13% |
| Tudor Dixon | 5% |
| Ryan Kelley | 17% |
| Kevin Rinke | 12% |
| Target-Insyght/MIRS | May 27th |
| Garrett Soldano | 6% |
| Tudor Dixon | 9% |
| Ryan Kelley | 19% |
| Kevin Rinke | 15% |
| Detroit Chamber/Glengariff | May 1st |
| Garrett Soldano | 8% |
| Tudor Dixon | 2% |
| Ryan Kelley | 5% |
| Kevin Rinke | 6% |
2022 Michigan Governor Race Polls: Republican Candidates Google Trends
| Last 7 days | |
| Garrett Soldano | 14% |
| Tudor Dixon | 42% |
| Ryan Kelley | 30% |
| Kevin Rinke | 14% |
| Past 30 Days | |
| Garrett Soldano | 8% |
| Tudor Dixon | 28% |
| Ryan Kelley | 50% |
| Kevin Rinke | 14% |
2022 Michigan Governor Polls: Republican Candidates Net Sentiments
| Date | June 23rd, 2022 |
| Garrett Soldano | -1% |
| Tudor Dixon | -4% |
| Ryan Kelley | -24% |
| Kevin Rinke | -12% |
Governor Whitmer’s Job Approval
- As an incumbent, Whitmer is secure in her primary and is not facing any viable or notable opposition.
- In a recent survey conducted by Detroit News Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s job approval rating is a respectable 49%, with 41% disapproving. That translates into a net approval rating of positive 8%.
- 33% of voters rated inflation as their top concern, followed by 13% saying “road or infrastructure” while around 11% focussed on the Supreme Court’s looming decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade and abortion rights
- Amongst independent voters, Gov Whitmer’s approval ratings stood at a net 2% with 42% of the voters approving and around 40% disapproving.
| New Democratic Campaign Ad: Forged The Democratic Governors Association affiliate in Michigan released a new campaign Ad- Put Michigan First needling the entire GOP Primary field, from attacking James Craig and other GOP contenders over fraudulent signatures to mocking Ryan Kelley over FBI arrest, quoting how Governor Whitmer is “protecting free and secure elections for Michigan.” |
2022 Michigan Governor Race Polls: General Election Latest Polls
| Poll source | Date |
| EPIC MRA | May 11-17, 2022 |
| Gretchen Whitmer (D) | 45% |
| Generic Republican | 46% |
| ARW Strategies | April 18-20, 2022 |
| Gretchen Whitmer (D) | 45% |
| Generic Republican | 46% |
Gretchen Whitmer vs. Ryan Kelley
Gretchen Whitmer vs. Kevin Rinke
Gretchen Whitmer vs. Tudor Dixon
Gretchen Whitmer vs. Garrett Soldano
Michigan Governor Election 2022 Polls: General Election Google Trends
| Last 7 days | |
| Gretchen Whitmer | 29% |
| Ryan Kelley | 26% |
| Tudor Dixon | 33% |
| Garrett Soldano | 12% |
| Past 30 Days | |
| Gretchen Whitmer | 14% |
| Tudor Dixon | 29% |
| Ryan Kelley | 50% |
| Garrett Soldano | 7% |
2022 Michigan Governor Race Polls: Social Media Sentiment
| Date | June 23rd, 2022 |
| Gretchen Whitmer | -13% |
| Tudor Dixon | -4% |
| Ryan Kelley | -24% |
| Garrett Soldano | -1% |
2022 Michigan Governor Race: Latest News
Michigan Governor Election 2022 Polls: Latest Videos
Michigan Governor Race 2022 Polls: Latest Tweets
Who is running for Michigan governor in 2022?
Gretchen Whitmer has all but secured the Democratic primary but the GOP field remains crowded and uncertain. Here are the candidates running in the primary
Republican Primary
- Tudor Dixon, a conservative media personality
- Ryan D. Kelley, Allendale Township Planning commissioner
- Garrett Soldano, Chiropractor, businessman, and former co-chairman of Unlock Michigan
- Kevin Rinke, Businessman
- Ralph Rebandt, Farmington Hills pastor
James Craig, Former Detroit Police Chief has decided to run as a write-in for Michigan governor after his exclusion from the ballot following concerns over fraudulent signatures.
2022 Michigan Governor Race Polls: Candidate Endorsements
1. Gretchen Whitmer (D)
- 314 Action
- American Federation of Teachers
- EMILY’s List
- Giffords
- Human Rights Campaign
- Jewish Democratic Council of America
- United Auto Workers
2. Tudor Dixon (R)
- American Conservative Union
- Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan
- Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee
- Michigan Chamber of Commerce
- Bill Huizenga, U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 2nd congressional district (2011–present)
- Lisa McClain, U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 10th congressional district (2021–present)
- Mike Shirkey, Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate (2019–present)
3. Ryan Kelley (R)
- Rachel Atwood, Precinct Delegate
- Candace Rock, Medical Freedom Advocate
- Debra Ell, National Trump Delegate 2016
- Captain Seth Keshel, Former Army Captain
2022 Michigan Governor Race Polls: Demographics
As per the latest 2020 Census Figures, the demographics of the state are as follows:
| Demographics | Proportion |
| White American | 74.9% |
| Black American | 14% |
| Hispanic American | 4.7% |
| Asian American | 3.8% |
| Native American | 2.25% |
| Others | 0.1% |
White votes remain a large majority and it’s the same case in both parties’ primaries. Black voters remain a crucial voting bloc for Democrats and they need to ensure Detroit is high, although the city has been hemorrhaging population for decades.
Oakland and Washtenaw County are especially important for Democrats, the latter is home to Ann Arbor and netted the party over 100,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election Meanwhile Grand Rapids and its metro area have been a bright spot for Democrats.
Biden won Grand Rapid’s county of Kent by the largest margin of any Democrat nominee since 1964 when Lyndon B. Johnson won a landslide. Republicans tend to do best in rural areas, white working-class counties in Macomb as well as the “thumb” area in the south-east of the state.
Read: Pennsylvania Governor Race 2022 Polls: Lou Barletta To Be GOP Nominee?