Left to right: Jocelyn Benson, Mike Duggan and John James | Photos by Anna Liz Nichols, Andrew Roth and Kyle Davidson

DETROIT — Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan is only slightly ahead of his potential opponents in Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James in a potential threeway November general election matchup, according to a new poll of 600 registered Michigan voters commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Of note, the Detroit Regional Chamber previously endorsed Duggan’s independent bid for governor.

The findings came in a wide-reaching statewide chamber poll conducted by the Glengariff Group between Jan. 27 through Feb 2. The data parsed questions on everything from the gubernatorial race, the perception of AI data centers and Michigan’s education and economic standing — the latter of which appear to be in free fall.

On the gubernatorial race, voters were asked whether they supported Duggan, Detroit’s recently retired former mayor, James, a sitting congressman from Shelby Township, and Benson, the current secretary of state.

The poll results show that all three are in a statistical dead heat, signaling a tough road ahead for the two major party candidates as they must now fully grapple with an independent candidate with the potential to mount a real general election insurgency.

Asked which candidate they would likely support, poll respondents listed Duggan at 30.1%, James at 28.9% and Benson at 28%.

“Duggan now polls better than the leading Democrat and Republican candidates in two of the three categories,” the chamber said in a news release. “In hypothetical head-to-head competition with these other candidates, Duggan has a commanding lead over both candidates.”

Ed Duggan, the candidate’s son and campaign director, said in a separate news release that the polling shows most Michigan voters are “sick of the politics as usual, with Democrats and Republicans obsessed with attacking each other.”

“We see it in our town halls every day: the more the Democratic party throws mud at Mike Duggan, the more support we gain,” Ed Duggan said. “People are turning away from the traditional party candidates and toward a candidate who has a history of bringing people together and actually solving problems.”

Among those hitting Duggan the hardest is not Benson or James, respectively, but rather Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel, who continued attacking Duggan as a campaign in jeopardy following the release of the polling data.

“Despite being the only candidate benefitting from millions of dollars in spending, Mike Duggan has had a few rough weeks of headlines and never shown a real path to victory,” Hertel said. “So now, it’s no surprise to see his wealthy allies desperately trying to boost his flailing campaign. The reality is the eventual Democratic nominee will be the only candidate who always puts Michigan first, while Duggan and the entire Republican field cater to Donald Trump’s disastrous health care cuts and economic chaos.”

James spokesperson Hannah Osantowske essentially called the Detroit Regional Chamber poll “an internal Duggan poll” on account of the chamber’s glowing support for Duggan, and said it was no more revelatory on who had the most standing in the race as Benson’s internal poll showing her on top.

“Two lifelong Democrats who’ve spent decades using government to benefit themselves,” Osantowske told Michigan Advance. “That’s not leadership, that’s corruption. John James is the battle tested conservative leader Michigan needs to restore freedom, opportunity, and integrity.”

Benson’s poll, conducted between Feb. 9 and Feb. 16 by Impact Research, surveyed 800 likely 2026 voters and placed her with 39% support, James at 36%, and Duggan at 20%, with 5% undecided.