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Michigan Attorney General
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: —
General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Dana Nessel (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Michigan
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Michigan executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State State Board of Education (2 seats) University of Michigan Board of Regents (2 seats) Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats) Wayne State University Board of Governors (2 seats)

Incumbent Dana Nessel (D) defeated Matthew DePerno (R), Joe McHugh (L), and Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party) in the general election for Michigan attorney general on November 8, 2022.

Nessel was elected in 2018, defeating Tom Leonard (R) 49.0% to 46.3%. Before Nessel's election, a Republican had held the office since 2002.^[1]

Detroit Free Press' Dave Boucher wrote on October 25, 2022, “[The attorney general race is] a close contest marked by a looming criminal investigation and personal attacks. … Polls consistently show this is the tightest statewide race in Michigan[.]”^[2]

Nessel said, "I am the best candidate to be Michigan’s AG because I am committed to serving all residents as the People’s Lawyer, with a focus on safeguarding consumers and protecting the voting, reproductive and civil rights of Michiganders."^[3] Nessel criticized DePerno's stances on abortion and the 2020 presidential election.^[2][4] She said, "AGs are tasked with defending the rights of their state's residents. Voting, reproductive, civil rights — it all hinges on who's in the AG's office. My opponent's extreme views on abortion & insistence that the 2020 election was stolen make him too dangerous to be Michigan's AG."^[5]

DePerno, who opened his own law firm in 2005, said, "I am running for attorney general to restore integrity, justice, and morality here in Michigan. ... On day one, I will restore law and order."^[6] DePerno's campaign website said he had been "fighting against tyranny in Michigan for many years, including protesting across the state against [Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D)] and Nessel's unconstitutional mask mandates, school and business lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and critical race theory."^[7] DePerno said he would "prosecute the people who corrupted the 2020 election and allowed fraud to permeate the entire election system[.]"^[6]

According to Boucher, “In August, the Office of the Michigan Attorney General and Michigan State Police revealed details of an inquiry that show they believe there is evidence DePerno ... and others violated multiple laws by accessing and tampering with election equipment."^[2] MLive's Ben Orner wrote, "DePerno faces possible criminal charges in that ballot machine investigation. Nessel requested a special prosecutor so to prevent a conflict of interest if charges are brought. DePerno has maintained his innocence and says Nessel is 'weaponizing her office' to attack a political opponent."^[8]

In 2018, Democrats gained a state government triplex in Michigan, flipping the Republican-held executive offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.

Duties of the Michigan attorney general include "[representing] the People of Michigan in civil and criminal matters ...," "[serving] as legal counsel to state officers ...," "[assisting] prosecuting attorneys, local law enforcement and federal criminal justice agencies ...," "[rendering] opinions on questions of law ...," "[preparing] and [reviewing] contracts and agreements involving the State of Michigan," and "[managing] programs and special projects to detect and crack down on fraudulent, unfair and illegal activities that victimize consumers or threaten public safety."^[9]

This was one of 30 elections for attorney general taking place in 2022. All 50 states have an attorney general who serves as the state's chief legal officer, responsible for enforcing state law and offering the state government advice on legal matters. In 43 states, the office was, at the time of the 2022 elections, an elected post. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican attorneys general and 23 Democratic attorneys general. Click here for an overview of all 30 attorney general elections that took place in 2022. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Michigan Attorney General election, 2022 (August 27 Republican convention)
• Michigan Attorney General election, 2022 (August 21 Democratic convention)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

Incumbent Dana Nessel defeated Matthew DePerno, Joe McHugh, and Gerald T. Van Sickle in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dana Nessel (D)	53.2	2,329,195
		Matthew DePerno (R)	44.6	1,952,408
		Joe McHugh (L)	1.5	67,846
		Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.7	32,431

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,381,880
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Incumbent Dana Nessel advanced from the Democratic convention for Attorney General of Michigan on August 21, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Dana Nessel (D)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Matthew DePerno defeated Ryan Berman and Tom Leonard in the Republican convention for Attorney General of Michigan on August 27, 2022.

		Candidate
		Ryan Berman (R)
✔		Matthew DePerno (R)
		Tom Leonard (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Joe McHugh advanced from the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Michigan on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Joe McHugh (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Gerald T. Van Sickle advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Attorney General of Michigan on July 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Dana Nessel

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Michigan Attorney General (Assumed office: 2019)

Biography:  Nessel received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School. She previously worked as an assistant prosecutor in Wayne County, Michigan, and as a private civil rights and criminal defense attorney. Nessel founded the Fair Michigan Foundation.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Nessel said, "I am the best candidate to be Michigan’s AG because I am committed to serving all residents as the People’s Lawyer, with a focus on safeguarding consumers and protecting the voting, reproductive and civil rights of Michiganders."

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Nessel said, "My opponent Matt DePerno has vowed to prosecute women & doctors for abortion with NO EXCEPTIONS — not even to save the mother's life. He said protections for birth control should be overturned & wants to ban Plan B from the state. His extreme positions are too dangerous for MI."

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Nessel said, "Democracy only works when the officials overseeing it will fight to uphold the will of the voters. My opponent Matt DePerno has said he'd rather throw out votes from Detroit than allow his preferred candidate to lose. He's too extreme, and MI voters won't stand for it."

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Nessel said, "My opponent Matt DePerno's career has been riddled with controversy and client complaints. Even members of his own party have said he has 'no ethics at all' and 'should be disbarred.' DePerno is too dangerous for Michigan. He cannot be trusted as our state's top cop."

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Show sources

Sources: WDET, "Michigan Voter Guide 2022: Attorney General," October 25, 2022; Facebook, "Dana Nessel on October 19, 2022," accessed November 1, 2022; Facebook, "Dana Nessel on October 27, 2022," accessed November 1, 2022; Facebook, "Dana Nessel on October 18, 2022," accessed November 1, 2022 ; Dana Nessel 2022 campaign website, "Dana's Background," accessed November 1, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Michigan in 2022.

Matthew DePerno

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  DePerno received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and an LL.M. from the New York University School of Law. DePerno worked as a partner in a law firm before opening DePerno Law Office in 2005.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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DePerno said, "I am running for attorney general to restore integrity, justice, and morality here in Michigan. ... On day one, I will restore law and order." He said, "Dana Nessel has prioritized criminals instead of victims, she's prioritized politicians instead of every one of you."

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DePerno said, "As your next AG I will focus on parental rights and making sure that PARENTS not GOVERNMENT, have a say in their child's education and extracurricular activities. ... As the next Attorney General, giving parents their voice back will be a top priority of mine." 

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In a statement on the appointment of a special prosecutor, DePerno said, "Dana Nessel's unethical conduct is dangerous and is the height of extreme political gamesmanship by a radical AG who can't defend her own record, refuses to answer to the people of Michigan, and believes she can bully her way into another term."

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DePerno said, "When I am elected, I will keep my word to prosecute the people who corrupted the 2020 election and allowed fraud to permeate the entire election system: whether from Benson's fraudulent mail-in ballot campaign, misappropriation of HAVA funds, or the deletion and destruction of voting records."

---

Show sources

Sources: Matthew DePerno 2022 campaign website, "Matt's Priorities," accessed November 1, 2022; Bridge Michigan, "Matthew DePerno: MAGA favorite under investigation may be next attorney general," October 27, 2022; Twitter, "Matthew DePerno for Michigan AG on September 17, 2022," accessed November 1, 2022; Twitter, "Matthew DePerno for Michigan AG on September 8, 2022," accessed November 1, 2022; Matthew DePerno 2022 campaign website, "About Matthew DePerno," accessed November 1, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Michigan in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Dana Nessel

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Matthew DePerno

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Endorsements

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[10][11][12]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

• Click here to search independent expenditures reported to the Michigan Bureau of Elections.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Michigan and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Michigan, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Michigan's 1st	Jack Bergman	Republican	R+13
Michigan's 2nd	John Moolenaar	Republican	R+16
Michigan's 3rd	Peter Meijer	Republican	D+1
Michigan's 4th	Bill Huizenga	Republican	R+5
Michigan's 5th	Tim Walberg	Republican	R+15
Michigan's 6th	Debbie Dingell	Democratic	D+11
Michigan's 7th	Elissa Slotkin	Democratic	R+2
Michigan's 8th	Dan Kildee	Democratic	R+1
Michigan's 9th	Lisa McClain	Republican	R+18
Michigan's 10th	Open	Democratic	R+3
Michigan's 11th	Haley Stevens / Andy Levin	Democratic	D+7
Michigan's 12th	Rashida Tlaib	Democratic	D+23
Michigan's 13th	Open	Democratic	D+23

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Michigan[13]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Michigan's 1st	39.3%	59.1%
Michigan's 2nd	35.0%	63.2%
Michigan's 3rd	53.3%	44.8%
Michigan's 4th	47.1%	51.1%
Michigan's 5th	37.1%	61.2%
Michigan's 6th	62.7%	36.0%
Michigan's 7th	49.4%	48.9%
Michigan's 8th	50.3%	48.2%
Michigan's 9th	34.6%	64.0%
Michigan's 10th	48.8%	49.8%
Michigan's 11th	59.3%	39.4%
Michigan's 12th	73.7%	25.2%
Michigan's 13th	74.2%	24.6%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

Following the 2020 presidential election, 46.0% of Michiganians lived in one of the state's eight Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 29.1% lived in one of 61 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Michigan was Battleground Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Michigan following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Michigan presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 13 Democratic wins
• 17 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Michigan

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Michigan.

U.S. Senate election results in Michigan
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	49.9%	48.2%
2018	52.3%	45.8%
2014	54.6%	41.3%
2012	58.6%	38.0%
2008	62.7%	33.8%
Average	55.6	41.4

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Michigan

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Michigan.

Gubernatorial election results in Michigan
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	53.3%	43.7%
2014	50.9%	46.9%
2010	58.1%	39.9%
2006	56.4%	42.3%
2002	51.4%	47.4%
Average	54.0	44.0

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Michigan's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Michigan's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Michigan, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Gretchen Whitmer
Lieutenant Governor	Garlin Gilchrist II
Secretary of State	Jocelyn Benson
Attorney General	Dana Nessel

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Michigan State Legislature as of November 2022.

Michigan State Senate

Michigan House of Representatives

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Michigan was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Michigan and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Election context

2018

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

Dana Nessel defeated Tom Leonard, Lisa Lane Gioia, Chris Graveline, and Gerald T. Van Sickle in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dana Nessel (D)	49.0	2,031,117
		Tom Leonard (R)	46.3	1,916,117
		Lisa Lane Gioia (L)	2.1	86,807
		Chris Graveline (Independent)	1.7	69,889
		Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.9	38,114

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,142,044
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2014

Attorney General of Michigan, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Schuette Incumbent	52.1%	1,603,471
	Democratic	Mark Totten	44.2%	1,359,839
	Libertarian	Justin Altman	1.9%	57,345
	U.S. Taxpayers	Gerald T. Van Sickle	1%	30,762
	Green	John Anthony La Pietra	0.8%	25,747
Total Votes				3,077,164
Election results via Michigan Department of State

2010

2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election[15]
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Bill Schuette	52.3%
	Democratic Party	David Leyton	43.5%
	Libertarian Party	Daniel W. Grow	2.3%
	U.S. Taxpayers	Gerald Van Sickle	1.9%
Total Votes			3,136,224

To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Michigan attorney general, click [show] to expand the section.

2006 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election[16] Party Candidate Vote Percentage      Republican Party a Mike Cox 53.8%      Democratic Party Amos Williams 43.5%      Libertarian Party Bill Hall 1.7%      U.S. Taxpayers Charles Conces 1.0% Total Votes 3,690,415 2002 2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election[17] Party Candidate Vote Percentage      Republican Party a Mike Cox 48.9%      Democratic Party Gary Peters 43.7%      Green Party Jerry Kaufman 1.6%      U.S. Taxpayers Gerad Van Sickle 0.9% Total Votes 3,068,012

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

• Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 24 Democratic primary)
• Missouri Auditor election, 2022
• Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022 (May 10 Democratic primary)
• Texas' 28th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 24 Democratic primary runoff)
• United States Senate election in Ohio, 2022 (May 3 Democratic primary)

See also

Michigan	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Michigan State Executive Offices Michigan State Legislature Michigan Courts	2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 Michigan elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016	Party control of state government State government trifectas State of the state addresses Partisan composition of governors

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Michigan Attorney General official website

Footnotes

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