In the most recent Michigan governor race poll (The New York Times/Siena University, Oct 23 - Nov 1, 2026, n=1011 LV), Benson (D) leads James (R) 51.8%–39.4%.
Data is synced continuously from the New York Times, which aggregates surveys from major pollsters. The table shows individual pollster results. The map uses the same 2026 non-partisan polling average and candidate-selection method as the homepage maps.
At a glance
- Polls tracked
- 71
- Pollsters
- 35
- Field dates
- Jan 19, 2025 – Nov 1, 2026
- Stages
- General election (52), Primary (19)
- Most recent poll
- Nov 1, 2026
All polls
| Pollster | Partisan | Field dates | Stage | Sample | Results | Margin | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New York Times/Siena University | Oct 23 - Nov 1, 2026 | General election | n=1011 LV | Benson (D): 51.8% James (R): 39.4% Don't know: 8.3% | D+12.4% | link | |
| Research Co. | Oct 30 - Nov 1, 2026 | General election | n=450 LV | Benson (D): 53% James (R): 41% Don't know: 5% | D+12% | link | |
| Concord Public Opinion Partners | Dem | Oct 30 - Nov 1, 2026 | General election | n=510 LV | Benson (D): 50% James (R): 41% Don't know: 5% | D+9% | link |
| AtlasIntel | Oct 28 - Nov 1, 2026 | General election | n=1316 LV | Benson (D): 53.2% James (R): 45.2% Don't know: 1.1% | D+8% | link | |
| Emerson College | Nov 1 - 1, 2026 | General election | n=500 LV | Benson (D): 50.4% James (R): 45.8% Brandenburg (C): 2% | D+4.6% | link | |
| YouGov | Oct 26 - 29, 2026 | General election | n=2086 LV | Benson (D): 52% James (R): 46% Someone else: 1% | D+6% | link | |
| CNN/SSRS | Oct 20 - 27, 2026 | General election | n=768 LV | Benson (D): 53% James (R): 41% Neither: 3% | D+12% | link | |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Oct 26 - 27, 2026 | General election | n=636 LV | Benson (D): 49% James (R): 44% Don't know: 4% | D+5% | link | |
| Data for Progress | Oct 23 - 25, 2026 | General election | n=622 LV | Benson (D): 52% James (R): 43% Don't know: 3% | D+9% | link | |
| Michigan State University Office for Survey Research/Verasight | Oct 8 - 23, 2026 | General election | n=1383 LV | Benson (D): 51.4% James (R): 41.2% Someone else: 7.4% | D+10.2% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Oct 19 - 22, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 51.4% James (R): 44.5% Don't know: 4% | D+6.9% | link | |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | Oct 2 - 19, 2026 | General election | n=836 LV | Benson (D): 53.3% James (R): 40.9% DK/Someone else: 5.9% | D+12.4% | link | |
| Marist University | Oct 15 - 18, 2026 | General election | n=1185 RV | Benson (D): 53% James (R): 42% Don't know: 3% | D+11% | link | |
| YouGov | Sep 22 - Oct 4, 2026 | General election | n=3949 LV | Benson (D): 48% James (R): 45% Don't know: 6% | D+3% | link | |
| Z to A Research | Dem | Sep 28 - Oct 1, 2026 | General election | n=483 LV | Benson (D): 50% James (R): 40% Anthony Hudson (L): 4% | D+10% | link |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Oct 1 - 1, 2026 | General election | n=682 LV | Benson (D): 46% James (R): 39% Don't know: 9% | D+7% | link | |
| Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research | Sep 24 - 28, 2026 | General election | n=1203 RV | Benson (D): 55% James (R): 44% Don't know: 1% | D+11% | link | |
| Guidant Polling and Strategy | Other | Sep 20 - 27, 2026 | General election | n=800 LV | Benson (D): 50% James (R): 45% Don't know: 5% | D+5% | link |
| Marist University | Sep 24 - 27, 2026 | General election | n=1235 RV | Benson (D): 53% James (R): 41% Don't know: 4% | D+12% | link | |
| co/efficient | Sep 21 - 23, 2026 | General election | n=843 LV | Benson (D): 47% James (R): 44% Don't know: 8% | D+3% | link | |
| The New York Times/Siena University | Sep 15 - 22, 2026 | General election | n=605 LV | Benson (D): 48.45% James (R): 42.82% Don't know: 8.62% | D+5.6% | link | |
| Cygnal/Beacon Research | Sep 18 - 21, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 45% James (R): 38% Don't know: 11% | D+7% | link | |
| Suffolk University | Sep 16 - 20, 2026 | General election | n=500 LV | Benson (D): 50.6% James (R): 34.4% Don't know: 11.4% | D+16.2% | link | |
| The Washington Post/George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government | Sep 10 - 14, 2026 | General election | n=803 LV | Benson (D): 53% James (R): 41% Would not vote: 4% | D+12% | link | |
| Emerson College | Sep 12 - 14, 2026 | General election | n=1000 LV | Benson (D): 48.63% James (R): 41.94% Don't know: 6.24% | D+6.7% | link | |
| CNN/SSRS | Aug 31 - Sep 6, 2026 | General election | n=843 LV | Benson (D): 50% James (R): 41% Neither: 5% | D+9% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Aug 31 - Sep 3, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 47% James (R): 43% DK/Someone else: 10% | D+4% | link | |
| EPIC-MRA | Aug 22 - 28, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 45% James (R): 41% Don't know: 14% | D+4% | link | |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | Aug 10 - 20, 2026 | General election | n=779 LV | Benson (D): 52% James (R): 43% | D+9% | link | |
| Fabrizio Ward/Impact Research | Aug 9 - 11, 2026 | General election | n=877 LV | Benson (D): 49% James (R): 44% Don't know: 6% | D+5% | link | |
| TIPP Insights | Rep | Aug 6 - 10, 2026 | General election | n=1215 LV | Benson (D): 53.02% James (R): 36.55% Someone else: 5.42% | D+16.5% | link |
| Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research | Aug 6 - 10, 2026 | General election | n=1006 RV | Benson (D): 52% James (R): 47% Don't know: 1% | D+5% | link | |
| EPIC-MRA | Jul 24 - 31, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 48% Johnson (R): 36% | D+12% | link | |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Jul 28 - 29, 2026 | General election | n=672 LV | Benson (D): 46% James (R): 44% Don't know: 9% | D+2% | link | |
| Emerson College | Jul 26 - 27, 2026 | Primary | n=350 LV | James (R): 48.15% Johnson (R): 33.35% Cox (Mike) (R): 12.87% | +14.8% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Jul 22 - 24, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Swanson (Chris) (D): 43.5% Johnson (R): 40.3% Don't know: 13.8% | D+3.2% | link | |
| co/efficient | Rep | Jul 14 - 16, 2026 | Primary | n=773 LV | James (R): 36% Johnson (R): 23% Cox (Mike) (R): 21% | +13% | link |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Jul 8 - 11, 2026 | Primary | n=500 LV | Benson (D): 71.7% Don't know: 16.4% Swanson (Chris) (D): 11.9% | +59.8% | link | |
| co/efficient | Rep | Jun 30 - Jul 3, 2026 | Primary | n=1101 LV | James (R): 35% Johnson (R): 23% Cox (Mike) (R): 20% | +12% | link |
| OnMessage Inc. | Rep | Jun 28 - 30, 2026 | Primary | n=800 LV | James (R): 46% Johnson (R): 21% Cox (Mike) (R): 14% | +25% | link |
| Strategic National | Rep | Jun 10 - 14, 2026 | Primary | n=500 LV | Don't know: 31.4% Johnson (R): 26.5% James (R): 23.8% | +2.7% | link |
| Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc. | Jun 9 - 14, 2026 | Primary | n=175 LV | James (R): 38% Don't know: 25% Cox (Mike) (R): 20% | +18% | link | |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Jun 11 - 13, 2026 | General election | n=827 LV | Benson (D): 51% James (R): 40% Don't know: 9% | D+11% | link | |
| Tarrance Group | Rep | Jun 1 - 4, 2026 | Primary | n=600 LV | James (R): 38% Johnson (R): 26% Cox (Mike) (R): 22% | +12% | link |
| TIPP Insights | Rep | May 20 - 23, 2026 | General election | n=1163 LV | Benson (D): 48.93% James (R): 38.03% Don't know: 7.04% | D+10.9% | link |
| 1892 Polling | Rep | May 12 - 14, 2026 | Primary | n=681 LV | Don't know: 38% James (R): 24% Johnson (R): 23% | +1% | link |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | May 1 - 7, 2026 | General election | n=606 LV | Benson (D): 42% James (R): 30% Don't know: 15% | D+12% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Apr 28 - May 1, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 34% Johnson (R): 26% Duggan (I): 23.3% | D+8% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Apr 21 - 24, 2026 | Primary | n=500 LV | James (R): 37% Johnson (R): 19.8% Don't know: 17.8% | +17.2% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Apr 17 - 19, 2026 | Primary | n=500 LV | Benson (D): 66% Don't know: 22.9% Swanson (Chris) (D): 8.1% | +57.9% | link | |
| OnMessage Inc. | Rep | Apr 15 - 18, 2026 | Primary | n=400 LV | James (R): 41% Don't know: 27% Johnson (R): 18% | +23% | link |
| Emerson College | Apr 11 - 13, 2026 | Primary | n=452 LV | Don't know: 38.9% Johnson (R): 21.4% James (R): 20.2% | +1.2% | link | |
| Impact Research | Dem | Mar 23 - 29, 2026 | General election | n=800 LV | Benson (D): 40% James (R): 36% Duggan (I): 20% | D+4% | link |
| 1892 Polling | Rep | Mar 25 - 26, 2026 | Primary | n=600 LV | Don't know: 42% James (R): 26% Johnson (R): 21% | +5% | link |
| Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research/YouGov | Mar 2 - 24, 2026 | General election | n=1000 A | Benson (D): 29.5% Don't know: 28.6% James (R): 22.7% | D+6.8% | link | |
| JMC Enterprises | Mar 21 - 23, 2026 | Primary | n=450 LV | Don't know: 44% James (R): 23% Johnson (R): 20% | +3% | link | |
| OnMessage Inc. | Rep | Mar 16 - 19, 2026 | Primary | n=509 LV | James (R): 37% Don't know: 30% Johnson (R): 19% | +18% | link |
| Impact Research | Dem | Feb 9 - 16, 2026 | General election | n=800 LV | Benson (D): 39% James (R): 36% Duggan (I): 20% | D+3% | link |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Jan 27 - Feb 2, 2026 | General election | — | Duggan (I): 30.1% James (R): 28.9% Benson (D): 28% | I+1.2% | link | |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | Jan 2 - 6, 2026 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 34% Duggan (I): 33% Leonard (Tom) (R): 24% | D+1% | link | |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Nov 18 - 21, 2025 | General election | n=616 LV | Benson (D): 32% Nesbitt (R): 27% Duggan (I): 22% | D+5% | link | |
| EPIC-MRA | Nov 6 - 11, 2025 | General election | n=600 LV | James (R): 34% Benson (D): 33% Duggan (I): 20% | R+1% | link | |
| Rosetta Stone | Oct 23 - 25, 2025 | General election | n=637 LV | James (R): 39% Benson (D): 34% Duggan (I): 18% | R+5% | link | |
| Schoen Cooperman Research | Ind | Oct 9 - 14, 2025 | General election | n=600 LV | Benson (D): 30% James (R): 29% Duggan (I): 26% | D+1% | link |
| The Tyson Group | Oct 8 - 9, 2025 | General election | n=600 LV | Republican (R): 39% Democrat (D): 35% Don't know: 18% | R+4% | link | |
| Impact Research | Dem | Sep 30 - Oct 6, 2025 | Primary | n=453 LV | Benson (D): 56% Don't know: 23% Gilchrist (D): 17% | +39% | link |
| Glengariff Group, Inc. | May 5 - 8, 2025 | General election | n=600 RV | Benson (D): 36.2% Nesbitt (R): 26.3% Duggan (I): 24.8% | D+9.9% | link | |
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Mar 13 - 13, 2025 | General election | n=688 LV | Benson (D): 37% James (R): 34% Duggan (I): 16% | D+3% | link | |
| Target Insyght | Mar 3 - 6, 2025 | General election | n=600 RV | Benson (D): 42% James (R): 30% Duggan (R): 21% | D+12% | link | |
| National Research, Inc. | Rep | Feb 17 - 19, 2025 | Primary | n=600 LV | James (R): 38% Don't know: 27% Nesbitt (R): 17% | +21% | link |
| OnMessage Inc. | Jan 17 - 19, 2025 | Primary | n=1000 LV | James (R): 46% Don't know: 35% Someone else: 6% | +40% | link |
71 of 71 polls shown, most recent first. Every number is a single pollster's reported result — no polling average is calculated here. Partisan shows the source’s party flag; a blank means no partisan affiliation is marked.