Eli Savit wins attorney general election, keeping state’s top law enforcement role with Democrats

DETROIT – Democratic nominee and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit has won the race for Michigan Attorney General, defeating Republican nominee Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd by a margin of 51.8% to 45.5% as of 2:28 a.m. Wednesday, the time at which the Associated Press called the race. 

“This campaign started 18 months ago, fueled by conversations on college campuses and with young people who were concerned about their future and who wanted an attorney general who would represent the people and not the powerful, and that is what we are going to get to work on doing from day one. to stand,” Savit said in a speech while declaring victory.

According to unofficial results, third-party candidates Jason Dye of the Libertarian Party, John Ludtke of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, Jeff Polonowski of the Green Party and Doug Dern of the Natural Law Party received 1.3%, 0.7%, 0.5% and 0.3% of the vote respectively.

Savit declared victory around 2 a.m. on Wednesday at the election watch party hosted by the state Democratic Party. He will succeed current Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is term-limited.

Late October polling showed Savit with around a 5-point lead over Lloyd, but also showed about 15% of those polled were undecided. With neither candidate benefiting from significantly more name recognition than his opponent, Savit benefited from an overall good environment for Democratic candidates in 2026. 

Savit, a progressive candidate, was nominated by the Michigan Democratic Party at their April convention, defeating a more moderate candidate in Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. He will succeed the term-limited current attorney general, Dana Nessel, who endorsed Savit.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel congratulated Savit on the win.

“At a time when Michiganders are facing threats to their freedoms and economic security, we need an Attorney General who will use every tool available to fight back. Eli has the courage, conviction, and record to do just that. I know he’ll stand up for Michigan—and I feel safer with him as our next Attorney General,” Hertel said.

Savit’s win completes the Democratic sweep of Michigan’s executive offices, following wins by Jocelyn Benson for governor and Garlin Gilchrist for secretary of state. The Democratic Party has maintained a hold on those offices since 2018.

It also follows a declaration of victory by Democrats in the Michigan House and Senate, setting up another trifecta similar to what the party enjoyed after the 2022 election, but before Republicans won the House in 2024.