Oakland County prosecutor announces bid for attorney general nomination

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced Tuesday her intention to seek the Michigan Democratic Party nomination in 2026 for state attorney general.

McDonald had teased big news on Monday via social media. On Tuesday afternoon, she made it official that she was seeking the party’s nomination to replace Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is term-limited.

Delegates for Michigan’s political parties nominate candidates for attorney general, secretary of state, state university boards, state Board of Education members and Supreme Court candidates during nominating conventions. These candidates do not engage in the primary election process.

I’m running for Attorney General because Michigan needs a fighter. I’ve spent my entire life advocating for children and families as a teacher, judge, and prosecutor. pic.twitter.com/TvFerutyOe

— Karen McDonald (@KarenMcDonaldMI) June 24, 2025

McDonald touted her early work as a teacher who went to law school to become an attorney, later a judge and then finally the Oakland County prosecutor.

She also highlights her work to prosecute the Oxford High School assailant and his parents following a deadly mass shooting at the high school in 2021. McDonald said she tried the case herself to ensure justice would be served.

“I told the victims’ parents that I would fight for them as if those kids were my own,” she said. “And that’s how I’ll serve as your attorney general. We don’t need to fight about everything, but Michigan needs a fighter.”

McDonald joins Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten of the Western District of Michigan in the hunt for the Democratic Party nomination.

Only one Republican has entered the race so far, defense attorney Kevin Kijewski, best known for his representation of Clifford Frost, one of the 15 defendants charged by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office with submitting false electoral votes in 2020 for President Donald Trump.