Michigan voters will elect a new slate of leaders in November — and the stakes couldn’t be much higher for a state with rising costs, an aging population, worrisome education trends and increasing health care expenses. 

All of Michigan’s major statewide offices will be vacated at the end of the year due to term limits, including the top post held by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The pending retirement of US Sen. Gary Peters also opened up a race that could help decide control of Congress.  

That’s not all. This coming fall, voters will decide a new secretary of state, attorney general, 13 US House races, all 110 state house and 38 state Senate seats, two Michigan Supreme Court justices, whether to hold a constitutional convention and potentially other ballot proposals. 

“It’s just going to be a crazy year,” said Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonpartisan research organization focused on policy.

Many key races in Michigan are likely to turn on national trends, particularly voters’ views of Republican President Donald Trump, said Matt Grossmann, a political science professor at Michigan State University. 

But the likelihood of a three-way governor’s race with independent candidate Mike Duggan leaves room for plenty of state policy debate.

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Whoever ascends to power in Michigan will inherit no shortage of problems. Moving the needle on most would require long-term commitments and a level of bipartisan cooperation that’s currently lacking, Lupher said. 

“Michigan has become a poor state relative to other states, stagnated for many years, while others have passed us by,” Lupher said. “The lack of education in our citizenry is reflected in the low performance and lack of literacy with a lot of our young people, reflects where we are and doesn’t bode well for the future.”

Bridge Michigan will be covering 2026 elections closely — and we’ll be listening to you. What issues should we focus on, and which issues should we grill political candidates about? What are the state’s biggest challenges and opportunities? 

We’ll be reaching out to you throughout the year, and your input will inform our coverage. Start the conversation now by filling out this survey. 

As always, Bridge is committed to undergirding all coverage with facts about the true state of Michigan.

In one way or another, Michigan residents are feeling the pinch. 

Costs of living in Michigan and nationally have skyrocketed in recent years, driven by inflation and economic volatility, and the job market is tight. Consumer spirits lifted slightly in December, a University of Michigan survey found, but confidence in personal finances and the economy remains nearly 30% below the same time in 2024. 

Economic issues are frequently front and center in election cycles, Grossmann said, though voters are often influenced by economic performance and partisan rhetoric on the state of the national economy. 

In some cases, though, the traceability of economic conditions to specific policies can lead voters to make direct connections, he said, noting issues like trade or cancellations of alternative energy facilities spurred by the new administration “could be live issues as well.”

Michigan’s unemployment rate as of November 2025 was 5%, a 0.2% decrease from November 2024, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Per the latest federal data available, Michigan had one of the highest jobless rates in the nation, behind only California, Nevada, New Jersey and Oregon. 

Median household income in Michigan was $72,389 in 2024, well below the national median of $81,604 — a gap that’s more than doubled since 2014 as the state lags behind the nation in income growth. 

The average Michigan family of four is paying more than $1,000 a month for groceries, up 40% since 2017 and higher than the national average, per an analysis from the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research firm. 

Renters have experienced a higher jump in monthly costs than the average national household — data from the real estate company Zillow shows average rents increasing nearly 45% in the Grand Rapids area since 2015 and 35% in metro Detroit.

Michigan’s residents face the highest electric bills in the Midwest region at $191 a month, up over 5% in the past year. Michigan’s rate is 18% higher than the US average, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Childcare costs, too, have jumped exponentially, rising to an average $25,700 per year in 2024, up 33% compared to 2017, an Urban Institute analysis found. 

But even though Michigan parents of young children are paying roughly the cost of a used car on annual childcare expenses, it could be worse. Neighboring states like Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota saw childcare rates double over the same time frame. 

So why is everything so darned expensive? 

A primary cost driver has been the persistent pressure of inflation, which has largely negated the impact of household income gains since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally, inflation increased 2.7% in November, a lower rate than anticipated but one economists warn could be skewed by lack of data collection during last year’s federal government shutdown.

Another factor: the wide-ranging effects of steep import tariffs on key foreign products, including vehicles and auto parts, which have an outsize impact on Michigan’s economy. 

A December 2025 tariff analysis from economists at Harvard and Chicago University determined prices have increased and US businesses have borne the brunt of added costs. But tariff exemptions, shipping lags and enforcement gaps have moderated the overall impact on the economy. 

Economists last year predicted Michigan could lose out on 13,000 jobs to the higher tariffs, though some companies were optimistic that the tariffs could drive more manufacturing jobs. Through September, Michigan had added about 20,000 jobs in 2025, according to federal data.

Lagging test scores, pre-K progress

Despite more money, more staffing and new laws passed by the state Legislature, Michigan K-12 schools are falling behind. 

Michigan’s 4th and 8th graders rank in the bottom half of all states for reading and math proficiency, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress score data. 

Michigan students have fallen behind peers in places like Mississippi despite tens of thousands of additional staff, free early childhood education and more free nutrition options.

In 2025, results from the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress showed 38.9% of Michigan third graders were proficient in English language arts — the lowest performance in the test’s 11-year history.

Test scores were up in four out of six grades in both English language arts and math, but overall proficiency rates remained below pre-pandemic levels in all subjects and grades except eighth grade English language arts.

Michigan students are lagging behind their counterparts in other states when it comes to recovering learning lost during the pandemic, though remote learning during COVID-19 isn’t the only factor in the state’s educational decline.

Lawmakers passed two bipartisan laws last year aimed at improving how schools teach literacy skills, requiring schools to screen students for characteristics of dyslexia and provide evidence-based literacy instruction. The state is also investing millions in teacher training and curriculum materials.

Depending on who prevails in the governor’s race and the Legislature, Lansing could scrap those changes and chart a new course on education policy. Some advocates warn the lack of consistency amid political changeover factored into Michigan’s current predicament.

“Let’s look at the progress that our students are making over the next several years and make informed decisions based off of that, not just decisions based off of campaign slogans and promises,” said Bob McCann, the executive director of The K-12 Alliance of Michigan that represents more than 100 local school districts. 

“When we have lawmakers coming in wanting to rip everything up and start over…the policies that are enacted are never really allowed to even take effect before we just throw them out.”

The state has made significant strides on preschool and post-secondary educational attainment in recent years, though there’s still some ways to go on Whitmer’s stated goals of universal pre-K, free community college for all residents and getting the number of Michiganders with at least some postsecondary education to 60% by 2030.

Across the state, there are about 51,000 students enrolled in the Great Start Readiness Program, the state’s free pre-K program — a 21% increase in enrollment over last year, according to state calculations.

Michigan is still short of reaching 70% of the 118,000 4-year-olds actually living in the state, the threshold for what the National Institute for Early Education Research considers a truly “universal” free preschool program. Officials have set a goal to “serve a total of 88,500 of the state’s 118,000 four-year-old children in publicly funded programs by 2027.” 

Progress on college enrollment has been incremental, with investments and updates to Whitmer-backed tuition assistance programs like Michigan Reconnect and the Michigan Achievement Scholarship making their way into bipartisan budgets.

As of 2024, 51.8% of Michigan residents had at least some post-secondary education, according to data compiled by the Lumina Foundation, behind the national average up from 45% when Whitmer took office.

An aging state

Michigan continues to lag behind the Midwest region and the nation in population growth and is aging faster than most states, with nearly 1 in 5 residents aged 65 or older. 

Those trends have long worried experts and advocates alike, who warn that Michigan is facing both a workforce and senior care problem as more people retire and fewer younger people are available to take their place. 

While the state’s overall population has flatlined over the past decade, the number of Michiganders 65 or older increased by 500,000. And in 23 of Michigan’s 83 counties, the median age of residents is 50 or older, higher than any other state with at least 20 counties.

Michigan has had some of the most anemic growth in the country, ranking 49th in growth from 1990 to 2020; only West Virginia fared worse. Whitmer created a commission to propose population growth policies, but lawmakers have not acted on the recommendations. 

Lupher, of the Citizens Research Council, said a long-term solution to the state’s population woes should be considered a critical priority for the public and any candidate seeking higher office, calling it “the most significant” issue when considering the long-term health of Michigan.  

“We haven’t been growing — that means those of us that are here are aging in place,” he said. “We don’t have the workforce of the future.” 

There have been some signs of hope in recent months. Moving companies say roughly equal amounts of people left or came to the state in 2025, an improvement after years of outbound migration.

The latest US Census estimates showed modest gains in many of Michigan’s largest metropolitan areas, and the gap between deaths and births is shrinking. In 2022, there were over 13,000 more deaths than births as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hit the state. In 2024, there were roughly 2,800 more deaths than births.

Immigration has also been a factor in boosting the state’s population growth in recent years, though refugee resettlement programs and other supports for new Americans in Michigan have taken significant funding hits under the Trump administration. 

At the same time, the number of non-parents who don’t plan on having children is growing. A 2025 Michigan State University study found that 27% of adult Michiganders — an estimated 2 million people— identify as childfree. 

Data center drama, energy debates

The fight over what role Michigan should play in the artificial intelligence-driven tech boom doesn’t fall neatly along partisan lines, and there’s a lot at stake for the state’s environmental and energy concerns. 

Construction is expected to begin soon on Michigan’s first hyperscale data center in Saline Township, a $7 billion computing facility for tech giants OpenAI, Oracle and Related Digital’s joint venture, The Stargate Project. 

At least 15 communities around the state have been approached with other data center proposals, and Michigan’s two largest utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, both say they’re in late-stage negotiations to bring on several gigawatts’ worth of new data centers in the near future.

Data centers promise major new investments in Michigan’s rural regions, and other data center developments around the country have produced windfalls for local governments, businesses and landowners. 

But the massive computer servers are noisy and eat up large amounts of land, water and electricity, prompting fears that the developments would jeopardize Michigan’s natural resources, drive up nearby residents’ electricity bills and leave the state holding the bag in the event of a bust.

Proponents of such projects include both Whitmer and President Donald Trump, while state tax breaks for the industry have drawn bipartisan criticism due to the facilities’ lack of a permanent workforce and burden on water and energy supplies in data center-heavy states. 

Meanwhile, clean energy requirements approved by state lawmakers in 2023 put pressure on utilities to derive power from designated “clean” sources by 2040, such as wind, solar or other approved sources. To meet that goal, utilities would need to ramp up clean energy production, especially if the state adds one or more data centers to the grid.

Part of the 2023 law set up a mechanism allowing developers to appeal to state regulators if local governments deny renewable energy projects — a controversial provision that many local communities view as an attack on their rights to make their own land use decisions. 

Healthcare costs up, health outcomes down

Average health insurance costs have risen faster in Michigan than the nation, though the overall costs remain lower than the national average. 

Linda Vail, a retired Ingham County public health officer, told Bridge she isn’t immune — her own healthcare premiums increased 12% this year, and recent blood tests resulted in an unexpected $700 out-of-pocket bill after her insurance determined the lab work wasn’t covered. 

For many Michigan residents, unexpected healthcare bills or premium price hikes can quickly turn into unpaid medical debt, Vail said. Long term, she noted those hidden costs can erode public trust in the medical system and even deter patients from seeking needed medical treatment.

“These rapidly rising costs really have a significant impact on people’s health and well being,” Vail said. “Skyrocketing hospital costs, skyrocketing insurance costs are basically creating or worsening the affordability crisis for Michigan families and businesses.”

Michigan’s insurers have raised rates more than 20% on average for 2026 as they prepared for the end of an enhanced premium tax credit program for health insurance plans bought through HealthCare.gov. 

That change is expected to directly impact an estimated 484,000 Michigan residents using the subsidy, and policy analysts fear its abrupt end may drive people to drop their coverage. 

Recipients of an unsubsidized “silver” plan through the Affordable Care Act marketplace paid an average $394 per month in Michigan, up 46% from last year. Nationally, the average increased 41% to $486 per month.

Also on the horizon: federal cuts to Medicaid spending, which currently provides health care coverage for more than 2.6 million Michigan residents. 

Starting in 2027, additional requirements for adults to prove they are working or unable to work to be eligible for Medicaid will take effect. State provider taxes used to leverage federal funding for Medicaid will be reduced starting in 2028 under the legislation. 

The changes are expected to have a disproportionate impact on rural hospitals, where Medicaid reimbursements make up a larger chunk of overall budgets. In Michigan alone, hospitals are bracing for a hit of at least $6 billion over the next decade from proposed federal cuts to Medicaid, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. 

Congress approved $50 billion in grants to fund rural health improvements, though industry experts fear it won’t be enough to offset the cuts. Michigan recently unveiled its pitch to the Trump administration to secure money from the program, as much as $200 million annually over five years.

Though there are few quick fixes that could address rising health care costs and its causes, Vail said Michigan officials have taken some steps in recent years to blunt the impacts, including codifying key Affordable Care Act provisions at the state level and a budget deal that aims to maintain current Medicaid spending despite the expected loss of federal matching funds. 

But the uncertainty surrounding healthcare policy is “kind of scary” heading into the 2026 election cycle, Vail said. Considering the importance of healthcare to individuals and the economy alike, she said candidates should have “an interest and a deep concern for the affordability, and how that then affects the ability for people to seek care.”

When it comes to overall health outcomes, Michigan residents have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes than the national average. The state currently ranks 30th nationally in overall life expectancy.

A November report from the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council also highlighted data suggesting Michigan residents report disabilities at a higher rate than most Americans and report more days a month when they are feeling physically or mentally ill. 

Health disparities persist for minority groups in Michigan, though state officials have taken some steps in recent years to close gaps — including boosting access to doulas for pregnant moms. 

State officials last summer announced a record low infant mortality rate, dropping from 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022 to 6.1 deaths per 1,000 births the following year. Deaths among Black infants also dropped, though at 11.9 deaths per 1,000 births, the mortality rate remained nearly three times higher than the rate of white infant deaths. 

Government transparency low, money in politics high

Unlike most other states, Michigan’s governor and state lawmakers aren’t subject to public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act, leaving the citizens with fewer options to hold public officials accountable. 

At the same time, candidates, officeholders and their donors are spending eye-popping, record-breaking sums on campaigns and causes. 

The 2024 Michigan House election was the most expensive in state history, costing more than $67 million and primarily funded by the ultrawealthy and so-called “dark money” groups where the original source of the funding was not disclosed. The group OpenSecrets estimates roughly $150 million was funneled to candidates and parties in Michigan that cycle. 

Though 2026 isn’t a presidential election year, the US Senate vacancy and at least four competitive US House races are expected to drive national interest — and spending — in Michigan. The race for governor and majority control of the Legislature will also get expensive as candidates make their case to voters over the next year. 

Once sworn into office, the governor and state lawmakers and their offices are not subject to the same public records laws as state employees or their local government counterparts. 

Though state public officials are now subject to financial disclosure requirements, the reform has been plagued by technology issues and what critics claim are “glaring loopholes” in the law’s ability to weed out potential conflicts of interest.

After a push for reform in the Michigan House, lawmakers agreed to overhaul the state’s budget earmark process, requiring officials to publicly disclose proposed spending on individual projects at least 45 days before final budget votes. 

That change came on the heels of several scandals over allegedly misspent or embezzled funds awarded during spreading sprees by the Legislature. In recent years, billions of dollars in earmarks were added to state budgets, often shortly before late-night votes.

Many current and former candidates have talked a big game on making Michigan politics more transparent, only to be met with opposition or have a change of heart once in office. 

When she first ran for governor in 2018, Whitmer’s platform included a “Sunshine Plan” to improve government transparency, including a promise to voluntarily honor FOIA requests for her office if lawmakers didn’t act.

Legislative efforts have repeatedly failed, yet Whitmer never voluntarily opened her official records to public scrutiny.

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