Gretchen Whitmer's approval rating
In the most recent Glengariff Group poll for the Detroit Regional Chamber, 52.2% of Michigan voters approve of the way Gretchen Whitmer is handling her job as governor and 39.0% disapprove (fielded April 28-May 1, 2026). She has stayed net positive across the Glengariff series, which read 52.1% approval in February 2026 and 49.0% in September 2025.
Whitmer, a second-term Democrat who is term-limited and leaves office in January 2027, is a popular swing-state governor frequently listed among possible 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, though her intentions are genuinely ambiguous. This page tracks her Michigan job approval; it is separate from any national 2028 polling.
Gretchen Whitmer approval rating: the Glengariff trend
The Glengariff Group, a Michigan survey firm, has asked Michigan voters the same question in each wave for the Detroit Regional Chamber: whether they approve or disapprove of the way Gretchen Whitmer is handling her job as governor. Because the pollster and the wording are held constant, these readings form a clean trend. They are shown below, newest first.
| Survey | Field dates | Approve | Disapprove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glengariff Group / Detroit Regional Chamber, May 2026 600 likely general-election voters, +/- 4.0 pts (8.8% no opinion) | April 28-May 1, 2026 | 52.2% | 39% |
| Glengariff Group / Detroit Regional Chamber, February 2026 600 registered voters, +/- 4.0 pts (11.6% no opinion) | January 27-February 2, 2026 | 52.1% | 36.3% |
| Glengariff Group / Detroit Regional Chamber, September 2025 600 registered voters, +/- 4.0 pts (15.1% no opinion) | September 10-14, 2025 | 49% | 35.8% |
Source: Glengariff Group for the Detroit Regional Chamber (Michigan voters). Each number is copied verbatim from the linked release. In each wave the strongly/somewhat sub-parts sum to the reported approve and disapprove totals. Latest data: .
What Gretchen Whitmer's approval rating measures
Gretchen Whitmer is the governor of Michigan, so this is a state job-approval rating: pollsters ask Michigan voters whether they approve of the way she is handling her job as governor. It is a current-sentiment number about her work in office, and it is separate from any national 2028 presidential polling.
- One pollster, one question: this page tracks the Glengariff Group series for the Detroit Regional Chamber specifically because it holds the pollster and the question wording constant across every wave, which makes the trend cleaner than mixing different surveys.
- Net positive, but disapproval rising: Whitmer's approval has stayed above her disapproval in every Glengariff wave, but the gap narrowed from about +16 points in February 2026 to about +13 points in May 2026 as disapproval climbed to 39.0%.
- Sample frame shifted: the September 2025 and February 2026 waves sampled registered voters; the May 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference wave sampled likely general-election voters. The pollster and question stayed the same, but that frame change is worth noting when comparing the newest reading with the earlier ones.
For where the 2028 field stands overall, see our 2028 primary polls and prediction-market odds.
A popular swing-state governor with ambiguous 2028 plans
Whitmer is often named as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential contender, but she has sent mixed signals. In late May 2026 she said in a Detroit television interview that she would not be part of the 2028 presidential field, then walked it back hours later at the Mackinac Policy Conference, saying she "should know better than to never say never." The same Detroit Regional Chamber conference is where the April-May 2026 poll on this page was released. She is term-limited and leaves the governorship in January 2027.
See our Democratic candidates 2028 hub, is Gretchen Whitmer running in 2028?, and Whitmer's full 2028 profile for the bigger picture. Approval numbers on this page are updated when a new Glengariff survey is released.
Gretchen Whitmer approval rating: FAQ
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We update this page when a new Glengariff job-approval survey is released, and we email a short digest when the 2028 field shifts. One email, no spam.
More on Whitmer and the 2028 race
Whitmer's full 2028 profile: status, latest signal, bio, and where she stands.
The full Democratic field for 2028, tiered by status with the frontrunners up top.
Latest national primary-preference polling for the Democratic field.
Prediction-market odds for who will win the 2028 presidency, sourced and dated.