Attorney General of Michigan

Michigan Attorney General
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$112,410
2024 FY Budget:	$142,798,400
Term limits:	2 terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Michigan Constitution, Article V, Section 3, the Executive Department
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Attorney General of Michigan Dana Nessel Democratic Party Assumed office: January 1, 2019
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other Michigan Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Public Instruction • Director of Agriculture and Rural Development • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Director • Labor Director • Public Service Commission

The Attorney General of Michigan is an elected constitutional office in the executive branch of the Michigan state government. The attorney general oversees the Office of the Attorney General, which is in charge of prosecuting the laws of the state of Michigan. In Michigan, the attorney general is popularly elected in midterm election years and serves terms lasting four years. Since 1993, the attorney general is limited to two terms in office.

Michigan has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current officeholder is Democrat Dana Nessel. She was first elected attorney general in 2018. Nessel assumed the office on January 1, 2019.

Authority

The Michigan Constitution addresses the office of the attorney general in Article V, the Executive Department.

Under Article V, Section 3:

The single executives heading principal departments shall include a secretary of state, a state treasurer and an attorney general...

Qualifications

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that establishes the requirements necessary to qualify for a state executive office. That information for the Attorney General of Michigan has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Elections

Michigan state government organizational chart

The attorney general is an elected position up for election each alternate even-numbered year. Per the Michigan Constitution of 1963, the attorney general serves a four-year term of office. Originally this was an appointed position until the 1950 State Constitution.

2022

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

Incumbent Dana Nessel defeated Matthew DePerno, Joe McHugh, and Gerald T. Van Sickle in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dana Nessel (D)	53.2	2,329,195
		Matthew DePerno (R)	44.6	1,952,408
		Joe McHugh (L)	1.5	67,846
		Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.7	32,431

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,381,880
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Incumbent Dana Nessel advanced from the Democratic convention for Attorney General of Michigan on August 21, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Dana Nessel (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Matthew DePerno defeated Ryan Berman and Tom Leonard in the Republican convention for Attorney General of Michigan on August 27, 2022.

		Candidate
		Ryan Berman (R)
✔		Matthew DePerno (R)
		Tom Leonard (R)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Joe McHugh advanced from the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Michigan on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Joe McHugh (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Attorney General of Michigan

Gerald T. Van Sickle advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Attorney General of Michigan on July 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Michigan

Dana Nessel defeated Tom Leonard, Lisa Lane Gioia, Chris Graveline, and Gerald T. Van Sickle in the general election for Attorney General of Michigan on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dana Nessel (D)	49.0	2,031,117
		Tom Leonard (R)	46.3	1,916,117
		Lisa Lane Gioia (L)	2.1	86,807
		Chris Graveline (Independent)	1.7	69,889
		Gerald T. Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.9	38,114

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,142,044
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2014

See also: Michigan Attorney General election, 2014

Attorney General of Michigan, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Schuette Incumbent	52.1%	1,603,471
	Democratic	Mark Totten	44.2%	1,359,839
	Libertarian	Justin Altman	1.9%	57,345
	U.S. Taxpayers	Gerald T. Van Sickle	1%	30,762
	Green	John Anthony La Pietra	0.8%	25,747
Total Votes				3,077,164
Election results via Michigan Department of State

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Michigan attorney general, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election Party Candidate Vote Percentage      Republican Party a Bill Schuette 52.3%      Democratic Party David Leyton 43.5%      Libertarian Party Daniel W. Grow 2.3%      U.S. Taxpayers Gerald Van Sickle 1.9% Total Votes 3,136,224 2006 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election Party Candidate Vote Percentage      Republican Party a Mike Cox 53.8%      Democratic Party Amos Williams 43.5%      Libertarian Party Bill Hall 1.7%      U.S. Taxpayers Charles Conces 1.0% Total Votes 3,690,415 2002 2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election Party Candidate Vote Percentage      Republican Party a Mike Cox 48.9%      Democratic Party Gary Peters 43.7%      Green Party Jerry Kaufman 1.6%      U.S. Taxpayers Gerad Van Sickle 0.9% Total Votes 3,068,012

Term limits

Term limits for the attorney general are defined in Article V, Section 30 of the Michigan Constitution, which bars an attorney general from serving more than two terms.

Michigan Constitution, Article V, Section 30:

No person shall be elected more than two times to each office of the executive branch of government: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state or attorney general. Any person appointed or elected to fill a vacancy in the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state or attorney general for a period greater than one half of a term of such office, shall be considered to have been elected to serve one time in that office for purposes of this section. This limitation on the number of times a person shall be elected to office shall apply to terms of office beginning on or after January 1, 1993. This section shall be self-executing. Legislation may be enacted to facilitate operation of this section, but no law shall limit or restrict the application of this section. If any part of this section is held to be invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts of this section shall not be affected but will remain in full force and effect.

Vacancies

Vacancy appointments are addressed under Article V, Section 21.

Whenever the attorney general's office is vacant the governor fills the position by appointment.

Duties

The main duties of the attorney general are outlined in the Michigan Compiled Laws:

• "Prosecute and defend all actions in the supreme court in which the state shall be interested"
• "Intervene in and appear for the people of this state in any other court or tribunal, in any cause or matter, civil or criminal, in which the people of this state may be a party or interested"

Divisions

As of January 10, 2021, the attorney general's office is organized into five divisions:

• Solicitor General
• Consumer and Regulatory Enforcement Bureau
• Environment and Government Operations Bureau
• Office of Fiscal Management
• Opinions Review Board

Campaign finance

Main article: Campaign finance requirements for Michigan ballot measures

The Attorney General of Michigan is responsible for handling all criminal prosecutions under the state's campaign finance laws. The first step in filing a campaign finance complaint is to file with the Michigan Secretary of State's office. It is up the aecretary of atate to resolve the complaint as the first step before proceeding to civil or criminal prosecution. The secretary of state is responsible for investigating all campaign finance complaints.

State budget

See also: Michigan state budget and finances

The Department of the Attorney General's budget for the Fiscal Year 2024 was $142,798,400.

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The Michigan Constitution allows that the compensation for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general shall be provided by law, and is not to be altered during the term of office. Established under Article IV, Section 12 of the Michigan Constitution, the State Officers Compensation Commission was created to determine the salaries of select public officials. The seven-member, government appointed commission meets every two years. The commission may propose compensation increases, but may only propose a reduction in salary if the proposed amount is equal to or higher than the salary in place when the official took office. Once approved by the legislature, compensation is effective during the legislative session following the subsequent general election.

Article V, Section 23 of the Michigan Constitution:

The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general shall each receive the compensation provided by law in full payment for all services performed and expenses incurred during his term of office. Such compensation shall not be changed during the term of office except as otherwise provided in this constitution.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $112,410, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the attorney general's salary was estimated at $112,410.

2012

In 2012, the attorney general was paid an estimated $124,900 according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

There have been 55 Attorneys General of Michigan since 1836. From 1836 to 1850, the attorney general of Michigan was an appointed position.

List of Former Officeholders from 1836-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Daniel LeRoy	1836-1837	appointed
2	Peter Morey	1837-1841	appointed
3	Zephaniah Platt	1841-1843	appointed
4	Elon Farnsworth	1843-1845	appointed
5	Henry N. Walker	1845-1847	appointed
6	Edward Mundy	1847-1848	appointed
7	George V. N. Lothrop	1848-1851	appointed
8	William Hale	1851-1855	Democratic
9	Jacob M. Howard	1855-1861	Republican
10	Charles Upson	1861-1863	Republican
12	Albert Williams	1863-1867
13	William L. Stoughton	1867-1868	Republican
14	Dwight May	1869-1873	Republican
15	Byron D. Ball	1873-1874
16	Isaac Marston	1874	appointed
17	Andrew J. Smith	1875-1877
18	Otto Kirchner	1877-1881
19	Jacob J. Van Riper	1881-1885
20	Moses Taggart	1885-1889	Republican
21	Stephen V. R. Trowbridge	1889-1890
22	Benjamin W. Huston	1890-1891
23	Adolphus A. Ellis	1891-1894	Democratic
24	Fred A. Maynard	1895-1899
25	Horace M. Oren	1899-1903
26	Charles A. Blair	1903-1905	Republican
27	John E. Bird	1905-1911	Republican
28	Franz C. Kuhn	1911-1913	Republican
29	Roger I. Wykes	1912-1913	appointed
30	Grant Fellows	1913-1917	NA
31	Alexander J. Groesbeck	1917-1921	Republican
32	Merlin Wiley	1921-1923	NA
33	Andrew B. Dougherty	1923-1926	appointed
34	Clare Retan	1926-1990	NA
35	William W. Potter	1927-1929	Republican
36	Wilber M. Brucker	1929-1931	Republican
37	Paul W. Voorhies	1931-1933	Republican
38	Patrick H. O’Brien	1933-1935	Democratic
39	Harry S. Toy	1935	NA
40	David H. Crowley	1935-1936	Republican
41	Raymond W. Starr	1937-1938	Democratic
42	Thomas Read	1939-1940	Republican
43	Herbert J. Rushton	1941-1944	Republican
44	John R. Dethmers	1945-1946	Republican
45	Foss O. Eldred	1946	appointed
46	Eugene F. Black	1947-1948	Republican
47	Stephen J. Roth	1949-1950	Democratic
48	Frank G. Millard	1951-1954	Republican
49	Thomas M. Kavanagh	1955-1957	Democratic
50	Paul L. Adams	1958-1961	Democratic
51	Frank J. Kelley	1961-1998	Democratic
52	Jennifer M. Granholm	1999-2002	Democratic
53	Mike Cox	2003-2010	Republican
54	Bill Schuette	2010-2019	Republican
55	Dana Nessel	2019-present	Democratic

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michigan Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Attorney General of Michigan - Google News

Contact information

110 State Office Building
305 Lundington
Escanaba, MI 49829

Phone: 906-786-0169
Fax: 906-786-6445
E-mail: [email protected]

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Michigan Attorney General
• Chart of how the Office of the Michigan Attorney General is organized