DETROIT — Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took a lead in early results Tuesday night against Republican challenger Tudor Dixon after a heated race for Michigan's top job.
With about 27% of the estimated vote counted, Whitmer was leading Dixon 53%-45%. However, millions of additional votes will be added to the tallies, and the numbers could change significantly. Polls closed in most of Michigan at 8 p.m.
As of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, more than 2 million absentee ballots had been requested and 1.8 million absentee ballots returned to clerks in Michigan, said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office. The all-time record for turnout in a Michigan gubernatorial contest is 4.3 million in the 2018 election.
