Lawmakers and other officials received close to $500,000 in lobbyist-paid food and drink in 2025. Much of the spending isn’t currently visible to the public.
Simon D. Schuster
Simon D. Schuster is a Capitol Reporter for Bridge Michigan. Simon joined Bridge Michigan in 2024 after working as MLive's senior political reporter and later covering politics on their investigative team. He spent three years tracking the influence of political money in Michigan as executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a nonpartisan nonprofit. A Michigan native, Simon received a bachelor's and a master of public policy from Michigan State University, where he was a policy fellow at the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. Outside of work you'll find him in Detroit, backpacking northern Michigan or visiting his fiancée in Scandinavia. He lives in Lansing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Gretchen Whitmer: Raise $800M for Medicaid by taxing nicotine, gambling, ads
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pitches $800M in new taxes as a way to ensure the ‘sustainability’ of Medicaid in Michigan. Republicans say no way.
Posted inMichigan Government
Mike Duggan ‘studying’ Trump school choice program for Michigan
In his bid for Michigan governor, independent Mike Duggan is not ruling out a new federal ‘Education Freedom Tax Credit’ program that unions argue amounts to a ‘voucher scheme.’
Posted inMichigan Government
In bid for governor, John James proposes ‘bill of rights’ for Michigan parents
In a new ‘bill of rights’ for Michigan parents, GOP gubernatorial candidate John James proposes opting into a private school choice program and limiting transgender athletes.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan governor hopefuls clash on free student meals, ICE at schools
Democrat Jocelyn Benson said she’d use ‘every tool’ to keep ICE out of Michigan schools. That debate is a ‘sideshow’ that won’t fix education woes, argued Republican Mike Cox.
Posted inMichigan Government
Grow Michigan’s economy? Many pledges, few plans at gubernatorial forum
Top candidates for governor offered a handful of ideas to jumpstart Michigan’s economy. Among them: Expand a ‘transformation brownfield’ tax capture program for developers, and ‘take a blowtorch to bureaucracy.’
Posted inMichigan Government
Whitmer on Trump election take over talk: ‘Won’t happen on my watch’
Pointing to Detroit, President Donald Trump suggested the federal government ‘get involved’ in elections run by states. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says that won’t happen in Michigan in her watch.
Posted inMichigan Government
Group touts signatures to put citizenship, voter ID question on Michigan ballot
A group pushing to tighten Michigan voter ID rules and require proof of citizenship to register says it has collected enough signatures to make the Michigan ballot. State officials will still need to validate petitions.
Posted inMichigan Government
Benson, James, Duggan grow money momentum in Michigan governor race
Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James are raising big money in their run for Michigan governor. But independent Mike Duggan’s campaign raised the most from donors last year.
Posted inMichigan Government
In Michigan Senate race, Dems battle for bucks as Mike Rogers builds war chest
Six months from the primary and with no clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, fundraising remains tight in Michigan’s closely-watched US Senate race.