Ann Arbor, Michigan sample ballot 2026

Alethia Battles is an attorney specializing in probate law who is also a clinical social worker, with more than a decade of experience on probate matters across multiple counties in Michigan and Ohio, per her campaign site.

Yousef Rabhi currently serves on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, elected in 2023, and previously served as a Michigan state representative from 2017 to 2023, including as House Democratic Floor Leader, per his campaign site. He is not the sitting mayor.

Cynthia Harrison currently serves on the Ann Arbor City Council representing Ward One, per her campaign site. She created Rising Hope for Housing, a program supporting families affected by the criminal legal system, and led passage of Ann Arbor's Driving Equality Ordinance, per the same source. She also produced a documentary addressing over policing and racial disparities in the city.

Sandy Aldrich holds a bachelor's degree and an MBA from the University of Michigan, per her campaign site. She immigrated from South Korea at age two and has lived in Ann Arbor for 22 years, per the same source.

Aidan Sova has served as president of the Ann Arbor District Library Board since 2023, per his campaign site. His campaign says his upbringing, raised by a single mother and grandson of union educators, shaped his focus on working families, per the same source.

NBC News projected Abdul El-Sayed the winner of Michigan's August 4 Democratic U.S. Senate contest, but the Associated Press had not called the race as of August 5 and the margin was about two points. He is a physician and former Detroit health director who ran for governor in 2018 and most recently led Wayne County's health department. Endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and funded without corporate money, his platform rests on three pillars: getting money out of politics, putting money in voters' pockets, and Medicare for All.

Mike Rogers is the Republican nominee for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, unopposed on the August 4 ballot and endorsed by President Trump. A former FBI agent and seven-term congressman who chaired the House Intelligence Committee, he came within a point of winning Michigan's 2024 Senate race and is making a second run under the slogan Get Michigan Working Again. His campaign site has no issues page; it points to his record creating Michigan's 529 college savings program as a state senator and eliminating federal taxes on education savings plans in Congress, and he has advertised on lowering prescription drug prices.

Jocelyn Benson is the Democratic nominee for Michigan governor and has been Michigan's secretary of state since 2019. Running to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, she took roughly 83% of the August 4 Democratic vote, a race the Associated Press called the moment polls closed. Her campaign site frames her agenda as rooting out corruption and building a government that makes life more affordable, and lists five priorities: affordable health care, housing for all, lower electricity costs, quality education, and jobs and economic growth.

John James is the Republican nominee for Michigan governor and the U.S. representative for Michigan's 10th district, a West Point graduate, combat veteran and businessman. Endorsed by President Trump in June 2026, he took about 50% of the August 4 Republican vote in a four-way field. His campaign platform, which he calls the Freedom Agenda, centers on an anti-corruption package, a phased elimination of the state income tax, education reform, a parents' bill of rights, and a health plan built around price transparency and direct primary care.

• Voted yes on the 2025 Republican tax and spending package on July 3, 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the January 2025 immigration-detention bill. Supported

Eli Savit is the Democratic nominee for Michigan attorney general, chosen at the party's April 2026 endorsement convention (Michigan attorney general nominees are selected at party conventions, not in the August 4 primary). Washtenaw County's elected prosecutor since 2020 and a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, he campaigns on prosecuting serious crime, protecting voting rights, and holding polluters accountable. The seat is open, and the race appears on the November 3 ballot.

Doug Lloyd is the Republican nominee for Michigan attorney general, chosen at the party's March 2026 endorsement convention (Michigan attorney general nominees are selected at party conventions, not in the August 4 primary). Eaton County's elected prosecutor for 13 years and president of the Michigan Prosecutors Association, he campaigns on fair prosecution and protecting constitutional rights. The seat is open, and the race appears on the November 3 ballot.

Garlin Gilchrist II is the Democratic nominee for Michigan secretary of state, chosen at the party's April 2026 endorsement convention (Michigan secretary of state nominees are selected at party conventions, not in the August 4 primary). Michigan's lieutenant governor since 2019, he campaigns on modernizing licensing and registration services and consumer protection. The seat is open with Secretary Jocelyn Benson running for governor; the race appears on the November 3 ballot.

Anthony Forlini is the Republican nominee for Michigan secretary of state, chosen at the party's March 2026 endorsement convention (Michigan secretary of state nominees are selected at party conventions, not in the August 4 primary). Macomb County's elected clerk since 2021 and a former state representative, he campaigns on election integrity and improving customer service. The race appears on the November 3 ballot.

Michael Warren has served as an Oakland County Circuit Court judge for more than two decades, presiding over hundreds of jury trials, per his campaign site. He also teaches business law at Wayne State University and constitutional law at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and previously served on the State Board of Education, per his campaign site. He holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. from Wayne State University.

Casandra Morse-Bills is the presiding judge of the 23rd Judicial Circuit, elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2024, presiding over probate, district and circuit courts across four counties, per her campaign site. She previously served as Oscoda County Prosecuting Attorney and holds a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, per her campaign site.