One of the most important elections in 2026 is the race to succeed term-limited Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Until Nessel, attorney general had a relatively narrow mission as the state’s chief legal officer. That role was largely bureaucratic but essential: providing legal counsel to the governor and state agencies, representing the state in court and managing disputes between agencies with competing and even conflicting interests. The remaining resources were divided between consumer protection and specialized investigations and prosecutions, including complex or multijurisdictional crimes.