GOP attack ad claims Jocelyn Benson will ‘get rich’ off a data center her husband worked on. Benson says her family won’t make a dime. Here are the facts.
Matt Mencarini
Matt Mencarini is a data and accountability reporter at Bridge Michigan. He was born and raised in Chicago and joined Bridge in July 2026 as a Report for America Corps Member. His journalism career has taken him to five different states. He reported on mass incarceration in Kentucky, voting rights in Wisconsin and local government in Illinois. He spent more than two years covering the Larry Nassar case for the Lansing State Journal, including investigating Michigan State University’s failures to stop the abuse sooner. He was also part of the Louisville Courier Journal team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. He currently resides in Lansing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: What Abdul El-Sayed said about prison sentences, freeing inmates
Republicans claim Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wants to release violent criminals from prison. El-Sayed has supported sentencing reform but attack ads take his comments out of context.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: Can Mike Rogers ‘put a shop class in every high school’?
The Republican Senate candidate says he’ll put a shop class in every high school but hasn’t said how. In truth, Congress can’t dictate curriculum.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: Democrats claim John James has used Congress to enrich himself
John James has gotten significantly wealthier while serving in Congress. As he runs for governor, Democrats cite stock trades, but most of his gains stem from a family business and blind trust.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: Did John James vote to increase health costs for Michiganders?
During a campaign speech in August, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told a crowd that US Rep. John James, her opponent in the November gubernatorial election, has voted several times to increase health costs for Michiganders.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: Abdul El-Sayed attacks Mike Rogers over pharma industry ties
Mike Rogers once said he believed pharmaceutical companies saw him as a ‘champion’ in Congress, but he’s never worked as a lobbyist for the industry, as Abdul El-Sayed claimed.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: ‘Florida man’ tag follows Mike Rogers in new US Senate bid
Democrats are calling Republican Mike Rogers a ‘Florida man’ as he runs for US Senate, renewing a criticism from his 2024 campaign. Rogers and his wife currently own homes in Michigan and Florida.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact check: What happened to Detroit dogs and cats under Abdul El-Sayed?
Critics allege Detroit animal euthanasia numbers spiked under Abdul El-Sayed. His campaign says the numbers dropped. We checked the facts.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan gave schools $224M for infrastructure, but they need billions
Michigan is one of eight states where bonds are the primary funding source for school infrastructure costs, researchers found. The state recently awarded grants, but public schools still need $22.8 billion in repairs.
Posted inMichigan Government
How Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan: Big turnout, liberal towns, walkup votes
Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic US Senate primary despite losing most counties to Haley Stevens and underperforming among African-Americans. Here’s how he did it.