AARP Hearing Center
New AARP Michigan Poll: Older Voters Critical Demographic in Narrow Senate, Governor Races
Voters over 50, who make up roughly half of Michigan’s swing voters, have rising prices top of mind in the leadup to November’s election
WASHINGTON – Today, AARP released new polling highlighting the decisive role that voters 50 and older will play in Michigan’s tight gubernatorial and Senate races this fall – as well as the top issues that will be driving their vote.
Older Michiganders are a critical voting bloc, consistently showing up to the polls and remaining highly engaged in elections across the state. Voters 50 and older accounted for about 60% of Michigan’s electorate in the 2022 midterms. AARP’s research suggests that this trend is likely to continue: 86% of voters 50-plus are extremely motivated to vote, compared with 71% of voters under 50. 50+ swing voters make up 8% of Michigan’s electorate – roughly half of the state’s total swing voters overall – emphasizing how critical this block will be for candidates looking to gain an edge in the runup to November.
“Older voters are a critically important voting demographic that are going to be the deciding bloc in this election, and they’re looking for leaders who can speak to the issues they care about,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer. “Concerns like affordability, Social Security and Medicare should be front and center for candidates competing for their vote.”
In the race for Senate, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed holds a razor-thin 48% to 47% advantage over Republican Mike Rogers statewide, with just 5% undecided. There are differences by age, with El-Sayed ahead among voters under 50 by 14-points, and Rogers ahead with voters 50-plus by 9-points. Swing voters 50-plus, who do not vote straight party ticket, favor Rogers by 33-points.
In a close governor’s race Democrat Jocelyn Benson leads Republican John James by a narrow 49% to 44% among likely voters statewide. Among voters 50-plus, however, James holds a slight 48% to 47% advantage over Benson. Benson leads among Swing voters 50-plus by 28-points, a net 61-point partisan difference with this group compared to the Senate race.
“This is a close race, and older voters in Michigan are paying attention and ready to make their voices heard,” said Paula D. Cunningham, AARP Michigan State Director. “They’re looking at what’s happening right in their own households and communities. Prices are going up, they want to know that Social Security and Medicare will be there when they need them, and here in Michigan, they want to see action on things like cryptocurrency kiosk fraud and stronger oversight of data center development. At the end of the day, folks want leaders who understand what they’re dealing with and will work on the issues that matter in their everyday lives.”
AARP’s polling found that affordability is the top issue for voters 50-plus, followed by Social Security and Medicare.
Among voters age 50-plus:
- 86% say Social Security is an important issue when deciding their vote, and 93% are more likely to support a candidate who will make sure workers receive the Social Security benefits they earned.
- 77% say Medicare is an important voting issue, and 86% are more likely to support a candidate who would expand Medicare's ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.
- 75% support requiring local communities to permit more accessory dwelling units (ADUs), a proposal aimed at helping address Michigan's affordable housing shortage.
AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) and Impact Research (D) to conduct the survey of likely Michigan voters. This is the fourth poll in AARP's 2026 battleground polling series, following surveys of Arizona, Ohio and Georgia. The firms interviewed 877 likely voters statewide. The survey was done between August 9-11, 2026. The interviews were conducted via live interviewer on cell phone (40%) and landline (15%), as well as SMS-to-web (45%). The sample was randomly drawn from the Michigan voter list. The margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level for the 877 statewide sample is ±3.3%.
View the full survey results at www.aarp.org/mi2026voterpoll and more information on our poll at www.aarp.org/MIpoll. Additional information about AARP’s 2026 battleground polling series is available at www.aarp.org/voterpolls2026.
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About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit aarp.org, aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.
Media Contact: Kevin Glass, kglass@aarp.org, 202-394-6841
