2018 Michigan Secretary of State election
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The Michigan Secretary of State election of 2018 was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the secretary of state of Michigan. Democratic former university dean Jocelyn Benson won her first term in office, defeating Republican university vice chair Mary Treder Lang. Benson succeeded Republican incumbent Ruth Johnson, who was term limited and ineligible to seek a third term.
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November 6, 2018
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  Benson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Lang: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 40–50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Treder Lang and Benson were selected as the respective party nominees through a convention.
Republican convention
Candidates
Nominee
- Mary Treder Lang, vice chair of the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents[1]
Eliminated at convention
- Stan Grot, Shelby Township Clerk[2]
- Joseph Guzman[1]
Withdrew
- Mike Kowall, state senator[3]
Democratic convention
Candidates
Nominee
- Jocelyn Benson, former dean of Wayne State University Law School and nominee for Secretary of State in 2010[4]
Declined
- Barbara Byrum, Ingham County clerk[3]
Minor parties
Libertarian Party
- Gregory Stempfle[5]
General election
Predictions
Post-primary endorsements
Mary Treder Leng (R)
- U.S. representatives
- Bill Huizenga, MI-02 (2013–present)[7]
- Candice Miller, former MI-10 (2003–2016)[7]
- John Moolenaar, MI-04 (2015–present)[7]
- Fred Upton, MI-06 (1987–2023)[7]
- Statewide officials
- Terri Lynn Land, former Michigan secretary of state (2003–2011)[7]
- State legislators
- Local officials
- L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County executive (1993–2019)[7]
- Organizations
- Farm Bureau PAC[7]
- National Federation of Independent Business Michigan[7]
- National Right to Life Committee Michigan[7]
Jocelyn Benson (D)
- Executive branch officials
- Joe Biden, former vice president of the United States (2009–2017)[7]
- Barbara McQuade, attorney for the eastern district of Michigan[7]
- U.S. senators
- Carl Levin, former Michigan (1979–2015)[7]
- U.S. representatives
- Sander Levin, MI-09 (1983–2019)[8]
- Statewide officials
- Kate Brown, governor of Oregon (2015–2023)[7]
- 9 secretaries of state[a]
- State legislators
- Marilyn Lane, former HD-31 (2011–2017)[9]
- 13 other state legislators[7]
- Local officials
- Dennis Archer Sr., former mayor of Detroit (1994–2002)[7]
- Mike Duggan, mayor of Detroit (2014–2026)[7]
- Mark Hackel, Macomb County executive (2011–present)[8]
- Eric Smith, Macomb County prosecutor (2005–2020)[7]
- Labor unions
- American Federation of Teachers[7]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters[7]
- Michigan AFL-CIO[7]
- Michigan Education Association[7]
- Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights[7]
- United Auto Workers[7]
- Organizations
- Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[b] |
Margin of error |
Mary Treder Lang (R) |
Jocelyn Benson (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group[10] | October 25–27, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 45% | 4%[c] | 17% |
| EPIC-MRA[11] | October 18–23, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 36% | 40% | 7%[d] | 17% |
| Marketing Resource Group[12] | October 14–18, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 33% | 41% | 3%[e] | 17% |
| Glengariff Group[13] | September 30 – October 2, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 41% | 7% | 23% |
| EPIC-MRA[14] | September 21–25, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 31% | 40% | 10%[f] | 19% |
| Glengariff Group[15] | September 5–7, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 44% | 5% | 23% |
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of October 21, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Jocelyn Benson (D) | $1,420,090.57 | $1,120,241.74 | $306,333.15 |
| Mary Treder Lang (R) | $671,165.36 | $562,880.13 | $108,285.23 |
| Source: Michigan Department of State[16][permanent dead link] | |||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jocelyn Benson | 2,213,243 | 52.90% | +9.96% | |
| Republican | Mary Treder Lang | 1,840,118 | 43.98% | −9.55% | |
| Libertarian | Gregory Stempfle | 81,849 | 1.96% | −0.02% | |
| Constitution | Robert Gale | 48,816 | 1.17% | +0.05% | |
| Total votes | 4,184,026 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Notes
- Jim Condos, Vermont secretary of state (2011–2023)[7]
- Matthew Dunlap, Maine secretary of state (2005–2011, 2013–2021)[7]
- Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky secretary of state (2012–2020)[7]
- Jason Kander, Missouri secretary of state (2013–2017)[7]
- Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico secretary of state (2016–present)[7]
- Alex Padilla, California secretary of state (2015–2021)[7]
- Mark Ritchie, former Minnesota secretary of state (2007–2015)[7]
- Steve Simon, Minnesota secretary of state (2015–present)[7]
- Natalie Tennant, former West Virginia secretary of state (2009–2017)[7]
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - Gale (UTP) with 2%; Stempfle (L) with 2%
- Stempfle (L) with 3%; "Other party candidate" with 4%
- Stempfle (L) with 3%
- "Other party candidate" with 10%; Stempfle (L) with 3%