LANSING — Michigan’s races for governor and U.S. Senate remain highly competitive less than two months before Election Day, as voters express growing dissatisfaction with the economy, the Iran war and President Trump’s performance, according to a new statewide poll.

The Detroit News/WDIV-TV survey found Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson leading Republican U.S. Rep. John James in the governor’s race, while Republican Mike Rogers held a narrow advantage over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the contest for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

The poll of 600 likely general election voters was commissioned by the Detroit News and WDIV-TV and conducted by the Glengariff Group, Inc. The telephone survey was conducted from Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.

The survey showed Rogers receiving 45.8 percent of the vote, compared with approximately 44.4 percent for El-Sayed. The 1.4 percent difference leaves the candidates in a statistical tie and places the Senate contest firmly in tossup territory.

In the governor’s race, Benson led James 46.8 percent to 42.7 percent. The Detroit News described Benson’s advantage as outside the survey’s margin of error, giving the Democratic nominee a clearer — but still relatively narrow — lead.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist also led Republican Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini in the secretary of state race. The contest for attorney general, meanwhile, remained statistically tied between Democrat Eli Savit and Republican Doug Lloyd, with nearly three in 10 voters undecided.

Senate race remains a tossup

The close Senate numbers point to a deeply divided electorate and a contest likely to depend on turnout, independent voters and the small percentage of Michiganders who remain undecided.

Rogers, a former member of Congress and former FBI agent, is making his second consecutive bid for the Senate after narrowly losing the 2024 election to Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

El-Sayed, a physician and former director of the Detroit Health Department, won the Democratic nomination in August following a closely watched primary. If elected, he would become the first Arab American and Muslim to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

The survey suggests that both nominees have consolidated much of their respective parties’ support, leaving neither candidate with a decisive advantage heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

Rogers and El-Sayed have offered sharply different positions on health care, the economy, immigration and U.S. foreign policy, including the wars on Iran and Gaza and American military assistance to Israel.

The Detroit News/WDIV poll found Michigan voters sharply divided over whether the United States should continue providing military aid to the Israeli government, an issue that could carry particular significance in Metro Detroit, home to one of the nation’s largest Arab American communities.

Benson holds advantage in governor’s race

Benson, who is completing her second term as secretary of state, is seeking to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

James, a military veteran and businessman who represents Michigan in Congress, is attempting to return the governor’s office to Republican control after eight years of Democratic leadership.

Benson’s lead represents an advantage for Democrats in one of the country’s most closely watched gubernatorial elections. However, with both candidates receiving less than 50 percent support, undecided voters could still influence the outcome.

The governor’s race is expected to focus heavily on the economy, education, state government accountability and Michigan’s relationship with the Trump administration.

Attorney general race remains highly unsettled

The poll also found a close contest between Democratic nominee Eli Savit and Republican nominee Doug Lloyd for Michigan attorney general.

Voters were asked whom they would support if the November election were held at the time of the survey, with Savit as the Democratic candidate and Lloyd as the Republican candidate.

Savit received 36.3 percent, while Lloyd received 35 percent — a difference of just 1.3 percentage points. No respondents selected another candidate, while 28.7 percent said they did not know or refused to answer.

The large undecided share exceeded the support received by either candidate, indicating that the attorney general contest remained highly unsettled at the time of the survey.

The results also place Savit and Lloyd within the poll’s margin of error, leaving neither candidate with a statistically significant advantage.

Gilchrist leads Forlini in secretary of state race

Gilchrist held a six-point advantage over Forlini in the contest to succeed Benson as Michigan’s secretary of state.

The poll found 42 percent of likely voters supporting Gilchrist, compared with nearly 36 percent for Forlini. About 22 percent — or roughly one in five voters — remained undecided.

Gilchrist’s advantage widened when the results were limited to voters who said they would definitely cast ballots. Among those voters, Gilchrist led Forlini by 10 percentage points, 46 percent to 36 percent.

Gilchrist also held an advantage among self-identified independent voters. About 33 percent of independents supported the Democratic nominee, compared with nearly 21 percent who backed Forlini.

Pollster Richard Czuba attributed Gilchrist’s early advantage largely to greater name recognition after nearly eight years as lieutenant governor under Whitmer. Gilchrist’s stronger performance among independent voters also contributed to his lead.

Forlini has served as Macomb County clerk since 2021 and previously represented portions of the county in the State House of Representatives. He faces the challenge of introducing himself to voters across the state while seeking to close the name recognition gap.

The candidates also entered the final months of the race with a significant difference in campaign resources. As of August, Gilchrist reported approximately $1 million in cash on hand, while Forlini reported about $296,000.

The poll indicates that Gilchrist has an early advantage, but the sizable undecided vote leaves room for movement before the November election.

The results of the Senate and governor’s races could also influence the secretary of state and attorney general contests by affecting turnout and voter preferences in the down-ballot races.

Economic concerns and Trump’s standing

Beyond the candidate matchups, the poll depicts an electorate increasingly dissatisfied with economic conditions and the direction of the country.

Michigan voters have soured on the economy, the ongoing U.S. war against Iran and Trump’s job performance, creating potential challenges for Republican candidates who have aligned themselves with the president.

The survey also found widespread concern over Trump’s trade war with Canada. The issue carries particular importance in Michigan because of the state’s deeply integrated economic relationship with its northern neighbor, particularly in the automotive, manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

Tariffs and rising consumer costs could become defining issues in the final weeks of the campaign as both parties compete for working-class and independent voters.

The poll also found substantial public opposition to data centers, which have generated controversy in communities concerned about their electricity and water consumption, environmental effects and eligibility for government tax incentives.

While those issues extend beyond the gubernatorial and Senate contests, they provide a broader picture of the concerns shaping Michigan voters’ decisions ahead of the November election.

Michigan has remained one of the nation’s most closely divided battleground states. Trump carried the state in 2016, Democrat Joe Biden won it in 2020 and Trump reclaimed it four years later.

The new survey suggests that the state remains politically unsettled. Benson enters the closing weeks with an advantage over James, but the contest for Michigan’s open Senate seat remains too close to identify a clear leader.

With the election approaching, turnout in Detroit, Wayne County, suburban communities, rural counties and western Michigan will be critical to the outcome of both races.