Evan Space
Evan Space (Republican Party) is running for election for Governor of Michigan. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Space completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Evan Space was born in Traverse City, Michigan. He served in the Michigan Army National Guard from 2008 to 2016. He graduated from Thornapple Kellogg High School and went on to study at Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University. His career experience includes working as an entrepreneur. He has been affiliated with the Freemasons.[1]
2022 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the November 8, 2022, general election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Incumbent Gretchen Whitmer (D) defeated Tudor Dixon (R) and five other candidates in the general election for governor of Michigan on November 8, 2022.
Whitmer was first elected governor in 2018. She was a member of the state House from 2001 to 2006 and the state Senate from 2006 to 2015. Whitmer ran on her record, saying she "created jobs, led the way for business investment, moved dirt to fix the damn roads, and invested in education."[2]
Dixon worked in steel sales from 2002 to 2017 before entering news media and working as an anchor for America's Voice News. Dixon said she was "running for governor to get us back on track." She said she would create a "family-friendly Michigan, one with good careers, better schools, safe communities, and ... roads you can actually drive on."[3][4]
Whitmer won the office in 2018 after defeating Attorney General Bill Schuette (R) 53% to 44%. Whitmer succeeded Rick Snyder (R), switching partisan control of the governorship to Democrats, who held the office from 2002 to 2010.
In the 2020 presidential election, Michigan was one of five states that voted for Joe Biden (D) after voting for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Trump's 2016 win in the state was the first time Michigan supported a Republican for president since 1988. In 2016, Trump won Michigan by a margin of 0.3 percentage points. Biden won Michigan by 2.8 percentage points in 2020.
By winning re-election, Whitmer became Michigan's first governor elected from the same party as the sitting president since 1990. Between 1994 and 2018, Michiganders elected governors from the opposite party as the sitting president. In 1990, voters elected John Engler (R) during the presidency of George H.W. Bush (R). The last time a Michigan governor lost re-election to a second term in office was in 1962, when Gov. John Swainson (D) lost his first re-election bid to George Romney (R).
Whitmer’s win resulted in Michigan becoming a Democratic trifecta, as Democrats gained a majority in the state House of Representatives and won at least 19 seats in the state Senate. Previously, it had divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republicans controlling both chambers of the state legislature. Between 1992 and 2022, Michigan had a divided government for 17 years and a Republican trifecta for the remaining 14.
Kevin Hogan (G), Mary Buzuma (L), Daryl Simpson (Natural Law), Donna Brandenburg (U.S. Taxpayers), and Evan Space (I) also ran in the general election. Minor party and independent candidates collectively received 3.6% of the vote in 2018.
In Michigan, major and minor party lieutenant gubernatorial nominees are chosen at party conventions and run on a joint ticket with the gubernatorial nominee. Click [show] on the table below to view each ticket.
| Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial tickets, 2022 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Gubernatorial candidate | Lieutenant gubernatorial running-mate | |||||||
| Democratic Party | Gretchen Whitmer (i) | Garlin Gilchrist II (i) | |||||||
| Republican Party | Tudor Dixon | Shane Hernandez | |||||||
| Green Party | Kevin Hogan | Destiny Clayton | |||||||
| Libertarian Party | Mary Buzuma | Brian Ellison | |||||||
| Natural Law Party | Daryl Simpson | Doug Dern | |||||||
| U.S. Taxpayers Party | Donna Brandenburg | Mellissa Carone | |||||||
| Independent | Evan Space | TBD | |||||||
This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office that is elected in all 50 states. There are currently 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors.
Elections
2026
See also: Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Governor of Michigan
The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Michigan on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Jocelyn Benson (D) | ||
| Garlin Gilchrist II (D) | ||
| Marni Sawicki (D) | ||
| Chris Swanson (D) | ||
| Anthony Hudson (R) | ||
| Aric Nesbitt (R) | ||
| Evan Space (R) | ||
| Mike Duggan (Independent) | ||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
Michigan gubernatorial election
See also: Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Governor of Michigan
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Michigan on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Gretchen Whitmer (D) | 54.5 | 2,430,505 | |
| Tudor Dixon (R) | 43.9 | 1,960,635 | ||
| Mary Buzuma (L) | 0.9 | 38,800 | ||
| Donna Brandenburg (U.S. Taxpayers Party) | 0.4 | 16,246 | ||
| Kevin Hogan (G) | 0.2 | 10,766 | ||
| Daryl Simpson (Natural Law Party) | 0.1 | 4,973 | ||
| Evan Space (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 26 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 21 | ||
| Total votes: 4,461,972 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Michigan
Incumbent Gretchen Whitmer advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Michigan on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Gretchen Whitmer | 100.0 | 938,382 | |
| Total votes: 938,382 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Articia Bomer (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Michigan
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Michigan on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tudor Dixon | 39.7 | 436,350 | |
| Kevin Rinke | 21.5 | 236,306 | ||
| Garrett Soldano | 17.5 | 192,442 | ||
| Ryan Kelley | 15.1 | 165,587 | ||
| Ralph Rebandt | 4.1 | 45,046 | ||
| James Craig (Write-in) | 2.1 | 23,521 | ||
| Elizabeth Adkisson (Write-in) | 0.0 | 11 | ||
| Justin Blackburn (Write-in) | 0.0 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 1,099,273 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Perry Johnson (R)
- Michael Markey Jr. (R)
- Bob Scott (R)
- Austin Chenge (R)
- Michael Brown (R)
- Donna Brandenburg (R)
Green convention
Green convention for Governor of Michigan
Kevin Hogan advanced from the Green convention for Governor of Michigan on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Kevin Hogan (G) | |
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Governor of Michigan
Mary Buzuma advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of Michigan on July 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Mary Buzuma (L) | |
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
U.S. Taxpayers Party convention
U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Governor of Michigan
Donna Brandenburg advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Governor of Michigan on July 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Donna Brandenburg (U.S. Taxpayers Party) | |
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[5] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[6] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.
| Michigan gubernatorial election, 2022: general election polls[7] | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size[8] | Sponsor[9] | ||||||||||||||
| The Trafalgar Group | Nov. 5-7, 2022 | 49% | 48% | -- | 1% | -- | -- | -- | 3%[10] | ± 2.9 | 1,097 LV | N/A[11] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Nov. 1-4, 2022 | 50% | 47% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4%[12] | ± 2.5 | 1,603 LV | N/A[13] | |||||||
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Nov. 3, 2022 | 50% | 48% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2%[14] | ± 3.8 | 658 LV | MIRS[15] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2022 | 50% | 46% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[16] | ± 2.3 | 1,754 LV | N/A[17] | |||||||
| EPIC-MRA | Oct 28 - Nov. 1 | 54% | 43% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3%[18] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | Detroit Free Press[19] | |||||||
| Click [show] to see older poll results | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size[20] | Sponsor[21] | ||||||||||||||
| Emerson College | Oct. 28-31, 2022 | 51% | 46% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | -- | 0%[22] | ± 3.2 | 900 LV | N/A[23] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 27-31, 2022 | 51% | 45% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[24] | ± 2.5 | 1,584 LV | N/A[25] | |||||||
| Insider Advantage | Oct. 30, 2022 | 45% | 45% | 2% | 2% | -- | -- | -- | 6%[26] | ± 4.2 | 550 LV | American Greatness[27] | |||||||
| The Glengariff Group | Oct. 26-28, 2022 | 52% | 43% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[28] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | WDIV/The Detroit News[29] | |||||||
| Wick | Oct. 26-30, 2022 | 49% | 47% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4%[30] | ± 3.2 | 1,137 LV | N/A[31] | |||||||
| KAConsulting | Oct. 27-29, 2022 | 48% | 41% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12%[32] | ± 4.4 | 501 LV | Citizens United[33] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 25-29, 2022 | 51% | 44% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[34] | ± 2.5 | 1,543 LV | N/A[35] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 23-27, 2022 | 51% | 44% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[36] | ± 2.3 | 1,822 LV | N/A[37] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 21-25, 2022 | 51% | 45% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[38] | ± 2.6 | 1,378 LV | N/A[39] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 19-23, 2022 | 50% | 44% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6%[40] | ± 2.6 | 1,459 LV | N/A[41] | |||||||
| The Trafalgar Group | Oct. 18-21, 2022 | 48% | 48% | -- | 2% | -- | -- | -- | 2%[42] | ± 2.9 | 1,079 LV | Michigan News Source[43] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 17-21, 2022 | 50% | 44% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7%[44] | ± 2.3 | 1,904 LV | N/A[45] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 15 - 19, 2022 | 49% | 44% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7%[46] | ± 2.3 | 1,793 LV | N/A[47] | |||||||
| Mitchell Research & Communications | Oct. 19, 2022 | 49% | 47% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4%[48] | ± 4.2 | 541 LV | MIRS[49] | |||||||
| SSRS | Oct. 13-18, 2022 | 52% | 46% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2%[50] | ± 4.9 | 651 LV | CNN[51] | |||||||
| 55% | 41% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[52] | 863 RV | ± 4.2 | ||||||||||
| Wick | Oct. 8-14, 2022 | 47% | 48% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5%[53] | ± 3.1 | 1,136 LV | N/A[54] | |||||||
| Emerson College | Oct. 12 - 14, 2022 | 49% | 44% | 0% | 1% | -- | 2% | -- | 4%[55] | ± 4.0 | 580 LV | N/A[56] | |||||||
| Cygnal | Oct. 12 - 14, 2022 | 48% | 44% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8%[57] | ± 3.9 | 640 LV | Michigan Assoc. of Broadcasters/ White Law PLLC[58] | |||||||
| EPIC-MRA | Oct. 6 - 12, 2022 | 49% | 38% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 13%[59] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | Detroit Free Press[60] | |||||||
| Insider Advantage | Oct. 11 - 12, 2022 | 44% | 44% | 2% | 3% | -- | -- | -- | 8%[61] | ± 4.2 | 550 LV | American Greatness[62] | |||||||
| YouGov | Oct. 3 - 6, 2022 | 53% | 47% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0%[63] | ± 3.6 | 1,285 RV | CBS News[64] | |||||||
| Glengariff Group | Sept. 26 - 29, 2022 | 50% | 32% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 18%[65] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | WDIV/The Detroit News[66] | |||||||
| The Trafalgar Group | Sept. 24 - 28, 2022 | 51% | 45% | -- | 3% | -- | -- | -- | 2%[67] | ± 2.9 | 1,075 LV | Michigan News Source[68] | |||||||
| EPIC-MRA | Sept. 15 - 19, 2022 | 55% | 39% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6%[69] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | Detroit Free Press[70] | |||||||
| Glengariff Group | Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2022 | 48% | 35% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 1% | -- | 13%[71] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | WDIV/The Detroit News[72] | |||||||
| The Trafalgar Group | Aug. 22-25, 2022 | 49% | 45% | -- | 2% | -- | -- | -- | 4%[73] | ± 2.9 | 1,080 LV | Michigan News Source[74] | |||||||
| EPIC-MRA | Aug. 18-23, 2022 | 50% | 39% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | --[75] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | N/A[76] | |||||||
| Blueprint Strategies | Aug. 15-16, 2022 | 51% | 39% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 11%[77] | ± 4.0 | 611 LV | N/A[78] | |||||||
| Fabrizio Ward/Impact Research | Aug. 8-14, 2022 | 51% | 46% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | --[79] | ± 4.4[80] | 500 LV | AARP[81] | |||||||
| Glengariff Group | July 7-8, 2022 | 51% | 40% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | --[82] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | WDIV/The Detroit News[83] | |||||||
| Target Insyght | May 26-27, 2022 | 58% | 21% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 21%[84] | ± 4.0 | 600 RV | MIRS[85] | |||||||
| Glengariff Group | Jan. 3-7, 2022 | 50% | 31% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 18%[86] | ± 4.0 | 600 LV | WDIV/Detroit News[87] | |||||||
Campaign finance
The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates’ loan totals, if any, by clicking “View More” in the table below and learn more about this data here.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[88][89]
If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.[90]
Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.
Click here to search Michigan's campaign finance database for individual expenditures by political action committees and party political committees.
- Michigan Families United spent $1.9 on ads supporting Dixon on ahead of the Aug. 2 Republican primary.[91][92] On Oct. 25, Bridge Michigan reported the group had spent $6.3 million on ads supporting Dixon throughout the election cycle.[93]
- Michigan Strong spent $300,000 on ads ahead of the Aug. 2 Republican primary, including an ad supporting Dixon.[94]
- Put Michigan First, a group associated with the Democratic Governors Association, spent $2 million on ads opposing Dixon on July 27, 2022, ahead of the Republican primary.[95] After the primary, the group began a $4 million campaign opposing Dixon.[96]
- Save Michigan PAC, a group associated with former gubernatorial candidate Michael Markey Jr. (R), spent $103,000 on the placement of ads supporting Dixon on July 27, 2022, ahead of the Republican primary.[97]
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[98]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[99][100][101]
| Race ratings: Michigan gubernatorial election, 2022 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 8, 2022 | November 1, 2022 | October 25, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | Tilt Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Congressional election
See also: Michigan's 11th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 11
Incumbent Haley Stevens defeated Mark Ambrose in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Haley Stevens (D) | 61.3 | 224,537 | |
| Mark Ambrose (R) | 38.7 | 141,642 | ||
| Total votes: 366,179 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 11
Incumbent Haley Stevens defeated incumbent Andy Levin in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 11 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Haley Stevens | 59.9 | 70,508 | |
| Andy Levin | 40.1 | 47,117 | ||
| Total votes: 117,625 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sumukh Kallur (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 11
Mark Ambrose defeated Matthew DenOtter in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 11 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Ambrose | 70.5 | 42,270 | |
| Matthew DenOtter | 29.5 | 17,702 | ||
| Total votes: 59,972 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gabi Grossbard (R)
Libertarian convention
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Evan Space (L)
Campaign finance
2018
- See also: Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 and Michigan gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 7 Republican primary)
Evan Space, Angelo Brown, Larry Hutchinson, Robin Sanders, William Cobbs, Patrick O’Neal Burney, Raymond Hall, Lance Herman, Henry Lester, Clyde Lynch, Chaneika Ranell Penny, Francis Rowley, John Arthur Williams ran as write-in candidates.[102]
General election
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Michigan on November 6, 2018.
