Mark Totten, a Democrat from Kalamazoo, announced he is running for Michigan Attorney General on Wednesday.
Totten has worn many legal hats around the state and said he feels compelled to run to help hold the Trump administration accountable to the law.
Democrat Dana Nessel, the current Michigan Attorney General, will not run for reelection in 2026 because she is term-limited. Totten is the first to announce his candidacy for the job.
Totten previously served as the chief legal counsel to Governor Gretchen Whitmer from 2019 to 2022. He was the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan under the Biden administration from 2022 to January 2025.
He said he feels compelled to run for the job because he wants to help hold the Trump administration accountable and ensure that Michiganders’ rights are protected.
“I have watched in horror as a president has stoked division, trampled civil rights, and undermined the very rule of law,” Totten said in an announcement video. “I refuse to stand by and watch, and that's why I'm running for attorney general, to fight for you and to fight for everything we hold dear.”
Totten has run for Michigan Attorney General before. In 2014, he was the Democratic nominee for the role but lost to Republican incumbent Bill Schuette.
While working as a U.S. attorney, Totten led prosecutions addressing violent crime, domestic abuse, hate crimes and discrimination. In Whitmer's office, Totten led her legal charge to protect reproductive rights.
He said, moving forward, he wants to continue to keep Michigan safe.
“I am prepared to take on anyone — from criminal gangs to greedy corporations to the Administration — who seeks to undermine our rights or take advantage of Michiganders,” Totten wrote in a press release.
Tutton has received a long list of endorsements from prosecutors and politicians around the state, including Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton and Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane.
“Mark Totten understands that safety is a fundamental civil right. He cares about the health and well-being of our cities,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neely wrote in an endorsement. “And he does the hard work of listening and connecting with people on the ground to build long-lasting partnerships. I’m thrilled to have Mark’s back because he has ours.”
Totten has also worked as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, taught at Michigan State University College of Law, and worked as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan.
