Former U.S. Attorney Drops Out Of Michigan Attorney General Race, Opening Opportunity For Others

Michigan Advance

January 27, 2026

Mark Totten, a former U.S. attorney and a candidate for the state’s Democratic attorney general nomination in 2026, said Tuesday that he was suspending his campaign.

The move opens a clearer path for Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, and public defender William Noakes, who are also seeking the Democratic nomination.

McDonald, however, is starting to make real waves in the race with two hallowed union nods from the United Auto Workers, which said they would support her on Monday, and the endorsement of the Michigan Education Association earlier in the race. That’s on top of other union nods McDonald has received thus far.

For Totten, he no longer saw a viable path to the nomination, which will be awarded in part during a spring endorsement convention and later at the party’s annual summer convention, when they will formally nominate the 2026 slate. With McDonald racking up two important unions, the lack of momentum became clearer this week.

“I am deeply grateful for the extraordinary support I have received across Michigan,” Totten said in a statement. “Thoughought this past year on the campaign trail — and throughout my career — I have been guided by a sense of mission. We live in an unprecedented moment, with the president attacking our democracy while the rich and powerful accumulate even more power at the expense of everyone else.”

Totten said state attorneys general stand on the frontlines against those abuses, and that he was uniquely qualified to lead in these times. However, he will not be doing so in 2026.

He said he would support the nominee, but did not issue an endorsement for McDonald, Savit or Noakes.

On the Republican side of the race are defense attorney Kevin Kijewski and Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd. Former GOP attorney general nominee Matt DePerno also expressed his intention to get into the race, although he continues to fight off criminal charges filed against him for his alleged role in a scheme to tamper with voting equipment.

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