Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is running for governor, with his announcement on Tuesday marking the third high profile Republican to enter the 2026 contest.

“I’ve protected people my entire life, fought and beat the worst of the worst,” Cox 2026 posted to X Tuesday. “Let’s not stand by and let radical politicians or woke bureaucrats undermine us any longer.

I’ve protected people my entire life, fought and beat the worst of the worst. Let’s not stand by and let radical politicians or woke bureaucrats undermine us any longer.

I’m running to be your Governor, and together, we can Make Michigan Great Again.

➡️ https://t.co/65CKZnng4c pic.twitter.com/TGXFRRdvAg

— Mike Cox 2026 (@Mike_Cox) April 15, 2025

“I’m running to be your Governor, and together, we can Make Michigan Great Again,” the post read.

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It was accompanied by a two-minute campaign video that highlighted Michigan’s decline under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited and positioning herself as a 2028 presidential candidate.

“Bad politicians with worse ideas are destroying our Michigan, made it harder to work, harder to learn, made us less safe,” the video said. “I’m tired of being told we can’t lead anymore, that we should accept less, aren’t you?”

Cox’s solutions: “We need to stop taxing work, eliminate the income tax, restore right to work, DOGE regulations.”

“We need to start teaching our kids the ABCs, instead of DEI,” the video said, referring to the controversial diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. “Let’s grade our schools so every kid can read and write, give parents the right to choose the best schools for their kids.”

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Cox served as attorney general from 2003 to 2011, the first Republican elected to the post in roughly a half century. Cox previously ran for governor in 2010, finishing third in the Republican primary behind former Gov. Rick Snyder and former Congressman Pete Hoekstra.

Prior to the AG’s office, Cox worked as a prosecutor in Oakland and Wayne counties, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1980s.

“People are hungry for change,” Cox told The Detroit News. “Growing up in Redford, just a blue-collar town, we were taught that we could do anything in Michigan — and the reality is we could. That reality has slipped away, and I want to do something about it.”

Cox likened Whitmer’s reign in Michigan to what Republicans refer to as the lost decade under former Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

“It really is deja vu,” he said. ““It looked like we learned some lessons under [former Gov. Rick] Snyder. To me, all jobs are good jobs. Why do we shut the door on any good job? We’re not learning the lessons of all the blooming states — that’s why I’m announcing on Tax Day.”

Snyder, Michigan’s last Republican governor, drew heated criticism from conservatives when he helped found Republicans and Independents for Biden in 2020. Snyder also refused to endorse Trump in 2024.

Cox acknowledged to The News he doesn’t have a personal relationship with the 47^th POTUS, but said he supports Trump and employs a similar approach to politics.

“I think Trump is able to speak to regular folks, and that was what I could do well when I was AG,” he said. “That’s what I plan to do again.”

Cox joins two other high-profile Republicans in the race to replace Whitmer: Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbit, of Porter Twp., and Congressman John James, of Shelby Twp.

Other declared candidates include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, all Democrats, as well as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who announced in December he’s ditching the Democratic Party to run as an Independent.

A MIRS poll of 688 general election voters conducted by Mitchell Research & Communications on March 13 found James, 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon and Cox effectively tied with Benson, the Democratic frontrunner, with 20 months to go before the 2026 contest.

James and Dixon were statistically tied at 31% and 30% support, respectively, for the Republican nomination, followed by Cox with 10%, 2022 gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson with 8%, Nesbitt with 5%, former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard at 1%, and 15% undecided.

Benson led Democrats with 46%, compared to Gilchrist at 13% and Swanson at 11%.

For general election matchups, the poll showed 16% of voters back Duggan, while Benson holds a statistically insignificant lead of 2% over Dixon and Cox in the general election, or a 3% lead in a matchup against James. The poll had a margin of error of 3.7% for the general election, 5.6% for the Democratic primary, and 5.8% for the GOP primary.

The poll also suggests the Republican nominee could ultimately hinge on Trump’s endorsement.

More than three-quarters (77%) of Republican primary voters told pollsters they are “very likely” (46%) or “somewhat likely” (31%) to vote for a Trump-endorsed candidate, even if it’s not who they currently support.

Trump has previously endorsed both James and Dixon, while Nesbitt endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in 2024.

Dixon has not declared a second bid for governor, but wrote in a post to X last month she’s considering both the gubernatorial race and a run to replace Democratic U.S. Gary Peters, who announced in January he would not seek a third term.

“Both races present unique opportunities and different ways to benefit Michigan,” Dixon wrote. “I will decide soon where my experience and talents would most benefit the state we love so dearly.”