2010 Michigan Attorney General election

The 2010 Michigan Attorney General election took place on November 2, 2010, to elect the Attorney General of Michigan. Two-term incumbent Mike Cox was term-limited by the Michigan Constitution from seeking a third term. Republican Bill Schuette, a former Congressman, state Senator and judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals, defeated Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton with 54 percent of the vote.^[1]

2010 Michigan Attorney General election

← 2006 November 2, 2010 (2010-11-02) 2014 →
Turnout	3,136,224
Nominee Bill Schuette David Leyton Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,649,223 1,363,486 Percentage 52.59% 43.48%
County results Schuette:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Leyton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Attorney General before election Mike Cox Republican Elected Attorney General Bill Schuette Republican

Republican Party

Schuette attending the 2010 Michigan Republican State Convention

Candidates

Nominee

• Bill Schuette, former U.S. Representative, Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals and state Senator,^[2]

Eliminated at convention

• Mike Bishop, Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate^[2]

Withdrew

• Bruce Patterson, state Senator^[3]

Patterson, a term-limited state Senator, was the first to form a campaign, forming an exploratory campaign in January, though he did not compete for the nomination at the Republican Party Convention in August 2010. After being expected to win the nomination handily, Schuette defeated Bishop by 121 votes to secure the nomination.

Democratic Party

Candidates

Nominee

• David Leyton, Genesee County Prosecutor^[4]

Withdrew

• Richard Bernstein, Attorney
• Gretchen Whitmer, state Senator^[5][6]

Despite filing for the race, both Bernstein and Whitmer^[6] withdrew before the state Democratic Party Convention and Leyton won the nomination uncontested.^[4]

Minor parties

Libertarian Party

• Daniel W. Grow, attorney^[7]

U.S. Taxpayers Party

• Gerald Van Sickle, attorney, nominee for Attorney General of Michigan in 2002^[7]

General election

Results

Michigan attorney general election, 2010^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Schuette	1,649,223	52.59%	−1.29%
	Democratic	David Leyton	1,363,486	43.48%	−0.03%
	Libertarian	Daniel Grow	62,737	2.00%	+0.33%
	Constitution	Gerald Van Sickle	60,778	1.94%	+0.95%
Majority			285,737	9.11%	−1.21%
Turnout			3,136,224		−0.15%
	Republican hold		Swing