All around the country, interest in the races for the office of state Attorney General appears to be at an all-time high.
True, some A.G. races are not on the ballot this year, and some never will be — a few states appoint them. But 31 A.G. races are being contested in 2026 amidst unprecedented turnover. There are 12 open seats, partly because six Attorneys General are running for other offices, particularly governor and U.S. Senator. A record amount of campaign cash is pouring into A.G. campaigns — over $40 million at latest count.
The most recent Michigan Attorney General to go on to higher office was Jennifer Granholm, who served as A.G. from 1999-2002, and as governor from 2003-2010. One of the state’s better governors, Alexander J. Groesbeck, served as A.G. during World War I and then as a three-term governor from 1921-26.
Because an A.G. is the state’s chief law enforcement officer, whoever holds the job makes a big difference not just for individual Michiganders but for businesses. This cycle could reshape the regulatory landscape. From tariffs and taxes to immigration, AI, data privacy, consumer protection, and antitrust, state Attorneys General increasingly set the tone for national policy — and the stakes have never been higher.
In Michigan, the two major party candidates competing this year for an open seat (incumbent Dana Nessel is term-limited) are Democrat Eli Savit, currently the Washtenaw Co. Prosecuting Attorney, and Republican Doug Lloyd, who holds the same job in Eaton Co.
One thing we know for sure — neither of them can be in it for the money. Whoever is elected Attorney General on November 3, the victor will be taking a significant pay cut from what he currently receives as a County Prosecutor.
Savit’s annual salary in Washtenaw Co. is $181,334. Lloyd’s in Eaton Co. is 141,689. Amazingly, the Michigan A.G. pays only $112,400 annually.
How could this happen?
Let’s start with the the State Officers Compensation Commission (SOCC), which sets the salary for the Attorney General, with the approval of the Legislature. The SOCC was created in 1968 after Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment.
As noted above, Doug Lloyd, the Republican AG nominee, is currently the Eaton County Prosecutor. His base salary as County Prosecutor is $141,689, which is higher than the SOCC recommendation.
That prompted a campaign finance complaint filed with the Secretary of State by campaign finance watchdog Bob LaBrant. That led to a SoS determination that Savit’s use of a public body’s resources for his political activities was a likely violation of Section 57 of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act. Savit said in news reports he has procured an alternative non-public vehicle for his use during the remainder of the campaign. The Department and Savit have until December, after the election, to resolve the complaint informally through conciliation.
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“Sabato’s Crystal Ball” calls this AG race a “toss-up” and polling shows the two in a dead heat statistically.
Drop Site News recently reported a criminal prosecution that could be damaging to Savit’s chances, however:
” A judge has thrown out felony embezzlement and false pretense charges against a pro-Palestinian University of Michigan student that alleged she used university funds to illegally purchase laptops for a student club.
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“Eli Savit, a progressive Jewish prosecutor, whose running for state attorney general brought the charges…………[h]e in part won because the progressive base views him as a break from Nessel and the political establishment’s unpopular prosecutions and positions on Israel.
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“Multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation said (U-M Police Sergeant) Cavanaugh’s warrant requests were highly unusual he bypassed administrative channels to resolve the issue………….”
Organizers of the Graduate Student Organization (GEO), who had been involved with tense labor negotiations with U-M involving the student as a union negotiator, strongly criticized the investigation and decision to initiate charges against that student. They characterized the charges as an attempt to stifle criticism of Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza.
GEO issued a statement:
“Despite the University of Michigan’s collaboration with Savit to repress Palestine solidarity and labor organizing a coalition of U-M students, faculty, staff, and community members organized for the case’s dismissal.”
This failed prosecution has been widely reported in the Arab-American community and it is feared Savit’s ascension to the position of Michigan Attorney General may amount to a continuation of Nessel’s policies which have been cited as abusive toward Muslims and the Arab-American communities.
In response to Leanne’s comments: I will be greatly surprised if Savit doesn’t win. In fact, I can’t think of any reasonable path for Lloyd.
The Democratic ticket looks on track to get 53% of the two-party vote, on the average, from to top of the ticket to the bottom. That’s simply baked in. Trump is driving it, but the polling is consistent nationally with a margin at least that large.
If Savit is ahead of Lloyd 53-to-47 among straight-ticket voters, Lloyd would need to carry the ticket-splitters overwhelmingly. For a non-incumbent, in a down-ballot race, that simply never happens.
Various people are picking at Savit, but nothing they’re talking about is likely to convince 100,000 voters to switch their votes, which is the magnitude of Lloyd’s baseline disadvantage. And Lloyd seems to have his own small public relations problem, involving (according to MLive) his use of a county contractor to pursue a private matter involving a million-dollar vacation home construction dispute.
I’m guessing that neither issue will move many voters, so Savit will simply win by about the same margin the entire Dem ticket does.
There has never been anyone as left-wing as Eli Savit to run for any state attorney general position and win.
He is similar in policy to District Attorneys Larry Krasner in Philadelphia and Chase Boudin in San Francisco.
Michigan voters outstate are conservative and will reject Savit’s policies.
Savit has ZERO law enforcement community endorsements – and there is the political cycle trend in Michigan that two-term incumbents that are term-limited virtually NEVER have their party re-elected.
Plus Nessel’s office has lost so many cases – there will be a desire by most moderates to elect a responsible GOP nominee.
I think you may agree Nessel’s record as AG is comparable to the 1962 New York Mets. No disrespect to Casey Stengel.
Nice article, Bill.
As for the AG campaign, I have seen only one ad for Mr. Lloyd and four or five for Mr. Savit. As I have commented in the past, the GOP donor class has to step up if the GOP wishes to win any of these state-wide offices. The real question, are they? Film at 11.
As for Mr. Savit, the June 14, 2026 Ballenger Report, you told us: “THEN THERE IS THE COMPLAINT AGAINST HIM THAT JUST WON’T GO AWAY — THAT HE’S CAMPAIGNED FOR A.G. ON THE TAXPAYERS’ DIME. THIS COMPLAINT WAS FILED IN MAY BY RETIRED ATTORNEY BOB LABRANT, WHO HAS BECOME THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY SCOURGE OF ALL PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND CANDIDATES WHO LABRANT BELIEVES HAVE VIOLATED CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS AND RULES.
THE CHALLENGE FOR BENSON IS THAT HER DEPARTMENT OF STATE WILL HAVE TO RULE BEFORE THE ELECTION ON WHETHER LABRANT’S COMPLAINT AGAINST SAVIT IS VALID. THIS WILL BE A POLITICALLY SENSITIVE DECISION BY BENSON’S AGENCY WHEN IT ISSUES ITS DETERMINATION FINDING THAT THERE IS, OR IS NOT, “REASON TO BELIEVE A VIOLATION OF THE MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN FINANCE ACT (MCFA) OCCURRED.”
You continued, and quoted Robert LaBrant: “THIS ALL STARTED BACK IN 2021, WHEN NEWLY ELECTED COUNTY PROSECUTOR SAVIT AGREED TO A COMPENSATION PACKAGE THAT ALLOWED HIM THE UNLIMITED USE OF A COUNTY-OWNED CAR AND USE OF A COUNTY CREDIT CARD TO PAY FOR ITS FUEL. SAVIT, UNDER THE IRS CODE, IS REQUIRED TO DECLARE THE CAR’S USE AS PERSONAL INCOME LIKE EVERYONE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHO HAS THE OVERNIGHT USE OF A COMPANY CAR.
THEN SAVIT CHOSE TO RUN FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL, THIS YEAR. THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE WILL NOW HAVE TO DECIDE IF SAVIT CAN CONTINUE TO USE THAT COUNTY CAR AND A COUNTY CREDIT CARD TO PAY FOR ITS FUEL AS HE CAMPAIGNS FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL, WHICH IS A STATE OFFICE. IN ADDITION, HAS SAVIT’S PRIOR USE OF THESE PUBLIC RESOURCES VIOLATED SECTION 57 OF THE MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN FINANCE ACT (MCFA)?
SAVIT TAKES THE POSITION THAT HIS USE OF THE COUNTY CAR IS UNRESTRICTED. HE CLAIMS HE CAN USE THIS COUNTY CAR FOR CAMPAIGNING BECAUSE HE DECLARES THE CAR’S USE AS INCOME ON HIS INCOME TAX. YET, THE COUNTY’S CAR IS NOT HIS PERSONAL POSSESSION. HE DOES NOT HOLD TITLE TO THE CAR. THE CAR IS NOT HIS TO SELL. ABOVE ALL, THE MCFA BANS THE USE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES FOR A POLITICAL PURPOSE.
LABRANT ASKS WHETHER SAVIT SERIOUSLY THINKS THAT A WRITTEN WASHTENAW COUNTY POLICY ON PERSONAL USE OF A COUNTY AUTOMOBILE SUPERSEDES OR TRUMPS SECTION 57 OF THE MCFA?
SECTION 57 OF THE MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN FINANCE ACT (MCFA) PROHIBITS PUBLIC BODIES SUCH AS STATE AGENCIES, COUNTIES, CITIES, TOWNSHIPS, AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM USING PUBLIC RESOURCES TO SUPPORT CANDIDATES OR BALLOT QUESTIONS. THAT PROHIBITION SPECIFICALLY INCLUDES THE USE OF A PUBLIC BODY’S VEHICLE FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES.”
You report that Benson will finally do something in December of this year. Are you suggesting she will give him a nice Christmas or Hannukah present?
And his supplemental employment with Dema Law? As a retired state employee, I am using State of Michigan language for work outside of your government paycheck. As a former chief steward with UAW Local 6000, I had the ‘privilege’ of listening to a DSS supervisor tell me during a disciplinary conference that he felt holding a garage sale was supplemental employment requiring Departmental approval as the customer, if they knew the grievant worked for DSS, may be intimidated by her employment from trying to bargain down a price at the garage sale.
As for the media holding him to account for any of this, not bloody likely. Maybe Tim Skubick will, but I seriously doubt the Freep will. And most local TV stations simply lack the will or the staff to do it. WXYZ TV (Channel 7 in Detroit) did some reporting this past April on the Oakland County Board of Supervisors, including some stuff on Sean Carlson (that is being used in campaign ads against him), but that seems to be the exception here in southeast Michigan.
As for Mr. Lloyd, he needs some money. And a good, if not excellent debate performance against Mr. Savit where he can answer the last question posed by Bill. Or at least hope that Mr. Savit has as bad a performance as Richard Austin did against Candace Miller. Though not watched by many, it was reported in the papers. I would also posit that someone should ask Mr. Savit if he would join in such fools’ errands as the Democratic AGs trying to stop the Paramount/Warner Bros.-Discovery merger (if they also went after Disney buying Fox or Comcast getting NBC-Universal, then they’d at least be consistent), or is he only aiming for GOP targets. But again, that requires the media having both the will and willingness to spend the resources to do it. And with private equity, hedge funds and the like starving the newspapers they buy and TV stations they have an interest in of the monies that used to be available for this type of reporting, I am not holding my breath. We have Bill Ballenger, but I do not see a Tom Greene anymore, or the doggedness of the newspaper corps of my youth those decades ago – Dawson Bell, Peter Luke, Hugh McDiarmid, Charlie Cain, and so many others that Bill can recall better than I can. And that is OUR loss.
Happy autumn one and all!
Events will soon determine which of us understands Michigan elections better. Just over a month from now, either I will be forced to admit you know more than I do. Or . . .
With great respect for you Mark Grebner- I bet Lloyd wins and thus Leanne
As a former city attorney, I find it astonishing that the Attorney General for the State of Michigan is paid less than I was sixteen years ago.Matt Hall must not like attorneys, or at least the current AG.
Though I think outside legal practice by an elected prosecuting attorney is astonishingly bad, the county board of commissioners has no control over the prosecutor’s conduct—he is an independent elected constitutional official. The county is the funding agency and thus controls the budget, but the prosecutor determines his or her conduct and that of his employees.
The danger is that you invite a cash flow from groups whose interests are adverse to the prosecutor’s office.
Usually its campaign finance funds – remember the Carl Marlinga indictment.
Think of the Citizens for Justice PAC in Washtenaw County where golf outing fundraisers were attended by many members of the criminal defense bar and the proceeds found their way eventually to the then-County Prosecutor’s campaign committee.
The other big controversy with Eli Savit is the Nimish Ganatra employment suit pending in federal court.
Savit is being defended by Miller Canfield law firm in discrimination and whistleblower claims by an Indian-American senior attorney in his office.
Judge Stephen Murphy recently denied a defense bid to dismiss the case.