Upset Brief · MI-06 · Heather Smiley (R) vs. Debbie Dingell (D), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 27.2-point national wave.
0%
odds today
<1%
odds with the plan
108,687
net votes to find
36
days left, ballots already coming in
Where
- 01+700Canton Township (Wayne County)Starting line Dingell +23. 2.3% split their ticket.
- 02+461Brownstown Township (Wayne County)Starting line Dingell +7. 5.5% split their ticket.
- 03+389NoviStarting line Dingell +17. 2.6% split their ticket.
- 04+334Huron Township (Wayne County)Starting line Smiley +18. 4.7% split their ticket. About 2,226 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 05+314Ypsilanti Township (Washtenaw County)Starting line Dingell +52. 2.2% split their ticket.
- 06+270TrentonStarting line Dingell +1. 5.0% split their ticket.
The top 12 cities and townships carry 68% of the plan.
How
- P+4,398Persuade4,398 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Dingell today.
- M+230MobilizeAt least 4,034 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in cities and townships where Smiley's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+820ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the cities and townships that lean Smiley's way.
Plus a national shift of 27.2 points of margin (103,239 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Smiley wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Dingell.
- In Huron Township (Wayne County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- It would take a national shift of about 27.2 points toward Smiley's side, larger than any midterm swing in recent memory.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression261 precincts, R² 0.989, 39 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -146,680 to -59,892 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through July 15Smiley no FEC totals reported; Dingell $414,935.
- 04Call program for this list10,469 households, 31,408 dials, about 1,646 live conversations: an estimated $4,671 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Michigan Bureau of Elections precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 27, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.