On Aug. 4, voters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will go to the polls to select their Democratic nominee for mayor — a matchup between incumbent Mayor Christopher Taylor and challenger Yousef Rabhi, Washtenaw County commissioner and former state legislator. 

From July 17–20, Data for Progress and Lead Locally conducted a survey of likely Democratic primary voters in Ann Arbor. The survey finds Rabhi leading the primary — with strong demand that the next mayor keep utilities accountable and rates in check, and broad support for the city taking public control of its electricity.

When asked how they would vote if the August Democratic primary for mayor were held tomorrow, a majority of voters (51%) choose Rabhi, compared with 38% for Taylor, a 13-point lead. Another 11% are undecided.

Among Democratic primary voters who name a candidate, 59% say they are “definitely” voting for that candidate and another 28% are “probably” voting for them, with just 14% still considering their options. Rabhi’s and Taylor’s supporters are about equally certain.

Across a set of possible priorities for the incoming mayor, keeping utilities affordable and accountable to clean energy standards top the list. Nearly 9 in 10 Democratic primary voters (89%) say preventing local utility companies from unnecessarily raising costs should be a priority, and a similar share (87%) say the same about keeping local utility companies accountable to clean energy standards.

A strong majority of Democratic primary voters also agree that keeping Ann Arbor on track to meet the city’s clean energy goals (80%) and limiting the expansion of data centers in the area (72%) should be priorities for the next mayor.

When asked whether the Ann Arbor government should own and operate the local electric utility instead of a private company, about 2 in 3 voters (68%) say the utility should become publicly owned to protect consumers from high prices and base decisions on the public interest rather than profits. Just 24% say it should remain privately owned — a +44-point margin for public power.

When asked which candidate they trust more to handle imposing regulations on data centers and their expansion, nearly twice as many voters pick Rabhi (50%) over Taylor (27%). On holding DTE Electric accountable to affordable rates for customers, Rabhi again leads, 46% to 28%.

With just days to go until the mayoral primary election, Yousef Rabhi holds a clear lead. Ann Arbor’s Democratic primary voters are entering the August election with a clear preference for candidates who will hold utilities accountable on both costs and clean energy, meet the city’s climate goals, and rein in data center expansion. 

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Survey Methodology

From July 17 to 20, 2026, Data for Progress and Lead Locally conducted a survey of 330 likely Democratic primary voters in Ann Arbor, Michigan using SMS and web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and geography. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error associated with the sample size is ±5 percentage points. Results for subgroups of the sample are subject to increased margins of error. For more information please visit dataforprogress.org/our-methodology.