# 2018 Michigan Secretary of State election

"none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
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vte :
The Michigan Secretary of State election of 2018 took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Secretary of State of Michigan, alongside elections for Michigan's governor, Class I United States senator, and attorney general, as well as elections for Michigan's 14 seats in the United States House of Representatives, all 38 seats in the Michigan Senate, and all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives. Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson could not seek a third term due to term limits. The Michigan Republican Party was looking to win its 7th straight Secretary of State election. Along with the offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general, the nominees for secretary of state were chosen by party delegates at their respective party conventions.
On November 6, 2018, Benson defeated Lang by an 8.9% margin.

## Republican Party
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Mary Treder Lang, vice chair of the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents

#### Eliminated at convention

* Stan Grot, Shelby Township Clerk
* Joseph Guzman

#### Withdrew

* Mike Kowall, state senator

### Endorsements

Federal politicians
* Jack Bergman, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 1st congressional district
* Paul Mitchell, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 10th congressional district
State Government Officials
* Gary Howell, member of the Michigan House of Representatives
State officials
* Terri Lynn Land, former Michigan Secretary of State (2003-2011)
Local elected officials
* Candice Miller, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner
* L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive

## Democratic Party
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Jocelyn Benson, former dean of Wayne State University Law School and nominee for Secretary of State in 2010

#### Declined

* Barbara Byrum, Ingham County Clerk

### Endorsements

Federal politicians
* Carl Levin, former United States senator from Michigan
* Sander Levin, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th congressional district
State officials
* Marilyn Lane, former member of the Michigan House of Representatives (2011-2017)
Local elected officials
* Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive and former Macomb County sheriff (2000-2010)
* Bob Smith, chairman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners
* Eric Smith, Macomb County Prosecutor
* Anthony Wickersham, Macomb County sheriff

## Minor parties
### Libertarian Party

* Gregory Stempfle

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Governing magazine | Lean D (flip) | June 4, 2018 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mary Treder Lang (R) | Jocelyn Benson (D) | Other | Undecided |
| Glengariff Group | October 25–27, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 34% | 45% | 4% | 17% |
| EPIC-MRA | October 18–23, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 36% | 40% | 7% | 17% |
| Marketing Resource Group | October 14–18, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 33% | 41% | 3% | 17% |
| Glengariff Group | September 30 – October 2, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 41% | 7% | 23% |
| EPIC-MRA | September 21–25, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 31% | 40% | 10% | 19% |
| Glengariff Group | September 5–7, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 44% | 5% | 23% |

### Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of October 21, 2018 :
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | 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 ||||

### Results

Michigan Secretary of State election, 2018 :
| Party | 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 | Total votes | Total votes | 4,184,026 | 100.0% | N/A |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |