11 months ago
Michigan governor race gets crowded: 'The more, the better'
Lansing — The race to be Michigan's next governor has added a new contender with Republican former Attorney General Mike Cox announcing his campaign this week, but many within the GOP are preparing for the 2026 contest to get even more crowded.
Already, Cox of Livonia, former U.S. House candidate Anthony Hudson of Grand Blanc Township, U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township and state Senate Minority Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township have formally announced their plans to seek the Republican nomination for governor.
At least four other prominent Michigan Republicans have been considering joining the race or have been quietly taking steps to set up a campaign: 2022 GOP nominee for governor Tudor Dixon of Norton Shores, businessman and former gubernatorial hopeful Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard of DeWitt and businessman and former candidate for governor Kevin Rinke of Bloomfield Township.
In an interview, Johnson, who's known for his work developing quality and registration standards for the manufacturing industry, said of the potentially crowded Republican primary field, "the more, the better."
"I'm very seriously considering running for governor, without a doubt," said Johnson, who self-funded an unsuccessful campaign for president two years ago.
Michigan's current governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, can't run again in 2026 because of term limits.
On the Democratic side of the race to replace Whitmer, the field of candidates appears somewhat solidified with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Detroit, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist of Detroit and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson of Fenton already launching their campaigns.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced his independent bid for governor on Dec. 4, less than a month after the 2024 presidential election.
The job of governor — the top political position in the state — is a valued one with some candidates plotting for years to pursue it, said John Sellek, a longtime Republican political adviser and CEO of the firm Harbor Strategic Public Affairs.
"Open governor seats traditionally come open once every eight years in Michigan, so this is a hot commodity," Sellek said.
A changing field
The last time there was an open seat in the governor's office, Whitmer, a former state lawmaker from East Lansing, formed her fundraising committee for the position on Jan. 3, 2017, about 19 months before the August 2018 primary.
Her eventual Republican opponent, then Attorney General Bill Schuette, didn't start his committee until September 2017. Five months before that same point in the current campaign cycle, there are already four announced Republican candidates for governor.
Johnson said the 2026 election is unusual because of how early people are launching their campaigns. But Johnson said he believes there's still plenty of time to enter because, as he contended, the race doesn't really start until January or February of the election year.
Campaigning as a "quality guru," Johnson ran for governor in 2022 and spent millions of dollars of his own money on TV ads. In that contest, he didn't form his fundraising committee until January 2022.
He ultimately didn't make the August 2022 Republican primary ballot because of a wave of fraudulent petition signatures that left five GOP candidates ineligible.
Cox, a former two-term Michigan attorney general who served from 2003 through 2010, joined the field earlier this week and said he wants to end the state's 4.25% income tax and overhaul the education system.
"Michigan is getting weaker, poorer and less free under Gretchen Whitmer,” Cox said in his announcement. “While she grows the government, families are crushed by taxes, regulations and woke priorities.
"Too many of our children are leaving. Enough is enough. I’m running to fight for Michigan families."
He last ran for governor in 2010, when he finished third in a five-candidate primary. Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder won the primary and went on to become governor that year.
Cox told The News that he plans to outwork his opponents and that he's comfortable addressing the concerns and goals of every part of the Michigan Republican Party.
“I was always someone who could get blue-collar Democrat votes when I ran,” Cox said. He added, referring to Republican President Donald Trump, "so many of those people are now Trump MAGA Republicans."
Trump looms
Trump, who won Michigan in the 2024 presidential election, looms heavily over the Republican primary race for governor. His potential endorsement of one of the candidates — if he makes one — could be influential.
James, a second-term member of Congress who opted against seeking reelection to his battleground House seat to run for governor, touted his ties to Trump when he announced his campaign on April 7.
"He's doing his part to Make America Great Again, and I'll do mine to bring prosperity and sanity back to Michigan," James said of Trump.
Likewise, Cox's new campaign website features the headline "FIGHTING TO MAKE MICHIGAN GREAT AGAIN," a reference to Trump's campaign slogan.
In the 2022 race, Trump endorsed Dixon four days before the primary election. She went on to win the five-candidate race with 40% of the vote.
Two advisers who helped with Dixon's 2022 campaign, Susie Wiles and James Blair, now work in the Trump White House. Wiles is Trump's chief of staff. If Dixon joins the 2026 primary race, the field of candidates might test Trump's allegiances.
Dixon has said she's considering running for U.S. Senate or governor in 2026. But three sources who declined to be named because of their involvement in confidential discussions said, in recent weeks, Dixon supporters have been actively setting up a team with her leaning in favor of running for governor.
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from White Lake Township, announced Monday that he's running for the U.S. Senate in 2026. Rogers netted Trump's endorsement in the 2024 Senate race.
Then a first-time candidate, Dixon lost her 2022 contest against Whitmer by about 11 percentage points, 55%-44%. However, Dixon has remained involved in GOP politics, serving as a campaign surrogate for Trump in 2024 and appearing frequently on the Fox News cable television network.
A Dixon spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment about her possible campaign for governor.
Rinke, an Oakland County businessman who came in second in the 2022 GOP primary for governor, is also pondering a second bid for the state's top office.
"Absolutely, I'm considering it," Rinke said on Friday of running for governor.
'Vigorous'
Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, acknowledged that he expects more GOP candidates to join the race for governor and that there will be a "vigorous" primary ahead.
Runestad said he thinks the competitive race will lead to the party's nominee being stronger for the general election.
“We will have a very, very seasoned, well-prepared candidate," Runestad said.
However, after the five-person primary race in 2022, Dixon found herself at a significant financial disadvantage to the incumbent governor. Garrett Soldano, a Michigan Republican who hosts a political podcast and ran for governor himself in 2022, said the "financial element" of the coming campaign might be a concern for the GOP if there's a crowded primary race.
A candidate might have to waste their financial war chest in the primary instead of saving money for the general election, he said.
"That’s tough," Soldano said.
But Soldano also said he hopes Rinke throws his hat in the ring.
“I’m really looking for someone with some business experience, some executive experience," Soldano said.
It's still possible some of the Republicans running for governor won't ultimately make the ballot. Each of them will need to collect 15,000 valid petition signatures to participate in the August 2026 primary. Likewise, it's unclear how competitive the Democratic primary will be.
Benson, who has won two statewide races for secretary of state, has positioned herself to be the leader, said Sellek, the Republican consultant. But, he added, some Democrats have questioned her abilities under the hotter spotlight of a gubernatorial campaign.
"So she will continue to face challenges but is clearly the front runner right now. She seemingly has access to unlimited resources and therefore the nomination is in her hands," Sellek said.
On March 10, Benson's campaign said it had built a financial war chest of nearly $2 million since launching on Jan. 22.
Curtis Hertel, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said his party had "a deep bench of strong candidates."
"This Republican primary is a race to the bottom full of extremists who have run and lost before," Hertel said.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan governor race gets crowded: 'The more, the better'
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