The position of attorney general of Michigan is on the ballot this November as current officeholder Dana Nessel finishes her second term.
Michigan's attorney general is the state's top lawyer and law enforcement official. Their responsibilities include safeguarding the public, helping victims of crimes, preserving natural resources, protecting consumers and addressing illegal business practices, according to michigan.gov.
Republican Doug Lloyd, Democrat Eli Savit and four third-party candidates are running for attorney general this election.
Doug Dern (Natural Law)
Doug Dern is running for Michigan attorney general as a member of the Natural Law Party. He is the chairperson of the Natural Law Party of Michigan, according to ballotpedia.org.
Dern is a corporate mentalist and trial attorney with over 35 years of experience, his website says.
Dern connects courtroom psychology and stage mentalism with his keynote presentations at corporate events, according to his website. His “Beyond the Evidence” performances demonstrate how perception, nonverbal cues and human assumptions drive decision-making, according to his campaign.
Jason Dye (Libertarian)
Jason Dye is running for Michigan attorney general as a Libertarian.
Prior to his work in politics, Dye founded We The People News, his campaign website says.
Dye's campaign highlights eight issues: public corruption task force, judicial accountability, ending qualified immunity, ending civil asset forfeiture abuse, government transparency, courtroom and public meeting recording, stopping corporate capture, and property rights and tax reform.
Dye hopes to create public corruption function focused on enforcing consequences for government abuse and misuse of office. He wants to hold judicial officials accountable and end qualified immunity. He aims to increase government transparency and have government proceedings be recorded and available to the public by default. His campaign promises to defend homeowners, landowners, small businesses and ordinary people from what he describes as predatory government practices.
Doug Lloyd (Republican)
Doug Lloyd is running for Michigan attorney general as a Republican. LLoyd is the current prosecutor of Eaton County, Michigan. Prior to being named prosecutor in 2013, he served as assistant prosecutor and senior assistant prosecutor for the Economic Crimes Unit and chief assistant prosecutor for Eaton County.
Prior to his current position, Lloyd was appointed by former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to the Organized Retail Fraud Advisory Board. He also served on the Insurance Fraud Task Force, has been confirmed by the Michigan Legislature to serve on the State Drug Treatment Court Advisory Committee, and was a previous president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan.
Lloyd's campaign describes five main priorities: prosecuting criminals fairly, without political favor or bias; advising lawmakers in crafting strong, common sense laws; protecting individuals' God-given constitutional rights without compromise; standing firmly against political lawfare; and rooting out corruption and defending Michigan's sovereignty.
John Ludtke (U.S. Taxpayers)
John Ludtke is running for Michigan attorney general as a member of the U.S. Taxpayers Party.
Jeff Polonowski (Green)
Jeff Polonowski is running for Michigan attorney general as a member of the Green Party.
Eli Savit (Democrat)
Eli Savit is running for Michigan attorney general as a Democrat. Savit is the current prosecutor of Washtenaw County.
Prior to his work in politics, Savit was both a special education and general education teacher of U.S. history. After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, he served as a clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court for Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He previously served on the Senior Legal Counsel for the City of Detroit before taking on his current role as the prosecutor of Washtenaw County.
Savit's campaign outlines eight key issues: keep Michigan safe, fight for people's rights, defend workers, protect consumers, safeguard the Constitution, protect the environment, promote justice for all and work with local communities.
Savit promises to prosecute serious crimes and work to prevent them from happening in the first place. He would work to enforce civil rights such as voting rights, education rights, reproductive rights, and free speech and due process rights. He hopes to prioritize consumer protection and litigate to stop price gouging, deceptive practices and other consumer abuse.
Savit promises to hold polluters accountable for damaging impact on the environment. His campaign says he will work to allow alternative approaches like mental health and substance use care for people accused of low-level offenses.
