Candidate Overview
Michigan Democratic Primary Ballot 2026
Governor
Chris Swanson is the only candidate I am willing to support in the race for Michigan’s next Governor. Full stop. End of story.
Easy Mode Summary: Chris is offering us a platform for realistic, tangible changes that can keep Michigan competitive and thriving in this changing world. Meanwhile, Jocelyn is running as if she’s already won the race through offering nothing beyond the status quo and the bare minimum to ease concerns that her ties to AI data center construction can (and already have) corrupted her judgement.
If You’re Worried About...
- Electability: General election polling does not exist for Chris Swanson; all I can point to his impressive overperformance over Kamala Harris in Genesee County in his 2024 re-election bid by 15%
- Electing a Sheriff: Watch this video and see for yourself how Chris is far from your typical cop
What about the other candidates?
Mike Duggan was my original favorite in this race; and him dropping out of the race forced me to evaluate my other options which eventually brought me to supporting Chris Swanson.
Jocelyn Benson, as I previously alluded to, has been running this race as if she's already won the governorship. Once I tuned into the Democratic primary debate only to realize that she refused to even show up was the moment she officially lost my vote
US Senate
Abdul El-Sayed is the candidate who has proven to me that he is best fit for the job to serve as Michigan’s next US Senator.
Easy Mode Summary: Abdul has offered us the best vision for how to use his position as US Senator to best serve Michiganders. His ideas are grounded in his experience in medicine and urge voters to look beyond the constraints of our current healthcare system in favor of one that works for more than only the richest of us.
If You’re Worried…
- Electability: General election polling averages currently show Abdul as the strongest candidate against Mike Rogers. He should be your pick if your #1 voting concern is Democrats holding Michigan’s US Senate seat.
- Socialism: That shouldn’t be a concern here. Yes, he is endorsed by Democratic Socialists like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY); but one of the reasons Abdul specifically appealed to the capitalist in me is his vision to strive for a capitalism that actually encourages competition rather than the oligopolic mess we have today.
What about the other candidates?
Mallory McMorrow was my original favorite in this race; and though she only recently suspended her campaign, I decided to vote for Abdul long before she withdrew.
Haley Stevens has not run the kind of campaign that makes me want her to be our next senator. Between her unmitigated willingness to take corporate money, her hush-hush support from the Democrat’s most feeble leader (Chuck Schumer) and now, these millions of dollars in ads from her donors flooding my screen trying to convince me she’s “not a corrupt politician” and slandering Abdul as “behaviorally misogynistic” are somehow both disgusting and laughable. This one’s not for me y’all.