In their words: How Michigan governor candidates would build the state economy

Michigan gubernatorial candidates say how they’d increase affordability, bring down housing costs and more
Topics included affordability, economic development, taxes, housing, diversification and population
Candidates were asked to limit their responses to 300 words

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Aug. 19, 2026, to focus on candidates who won their primary elections.

The cost of living, from housing to gasoline, is primed to be a pivotal election issue this fall. And Michigan’s gubernatorial candidates have sweeping but strikingly different plans for how to address it.

More than 1 in 4 respondents to Bridge’s election-year reader survey said the economy is their top issue — more than any other policy area.

So we asked related questions to the major party candidates, including both who qualified for the general election ballot:

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat
US Rep. John James, a Republican

Here’s what they had to say, in full:

Affordability

The question: What powers, in your view, are available to Michigan’s governor to increase affordability and what actions would you take to bring down costs for everyday Michiganders?

Benson (D): Everywhere I go in Michigan I hear heartbreaking stories about the struggles families are enduring as costs continue to skyrocket on everything. Moms are having to choose between whether to eat or pay rent. Seniors are anxious about covering the rising cost of their prescriptions on a fixed income. Small business owners are struggling to keep their lights on while energy costs go up and chaotic tariff policies jeopardize their inventory.

My affordability agenda details how we can streamline government to provide more support for everyone struggling to make ends meet in this economy.

Related:

I will work to increase housing availability and affordability by streamlining regulations that slow down construction, incentivizing the development of starter homes and affordable units, and holding accountable investors who buy up properties and drive up rents solely to make a profit. We will adopt policies shown in other states to lower healthcare costs, like creating a healthcare affordability board to stop pharmaceutical companies from price gouging, and passing a $5,000 caregiver tax credit to support families working to provide long-term care for their aging loved ones. I will lower energy costs by ending the unfair rate hikes, investing in a clean energy future, reforming our rate-setting process to make it more transparent, and working with public utilities to modernize our energy grid. And I will make childcare more accessible and affordable by expanding Rx Kids statewide and removing barriers that prevent qualified providers from opening their doors.

From the grocery store to the gas pump, from the doctor’s office to the housing market, we can bring down costs and protect families’ pocketbooks. I know what it takes to save residents time and money and make their lives easier – I have done it before by running one of our state’s most important agencies. Now, I am ready to do that across all of state government, ensuring everyone who works hard can afford to live, thrive, and build a future right here in Michigan.

James (R): My three-word affordability agenda: energy, housing, healthcare.

Every decision my administration makes will be filtered through one question: does this make Michigan more or less affordable? Lansing has been adding costs for years. We are going to start subtracting them.

West Point taught me that you solve problems by identifying and confronting root causes, not symptoms. Michigan families are being squeezed by bad policy, and the Governor has real tools to fix it.

On day one, I will move to repeal harmful energy mandates driving up utility bills and the cost of everything from gas to groceries. I will push to eliminate Michigan’s state income tax, which is the highest in the Midwest for working families, and deliver real property tax relief.

In healthcare, patients deserve to know what they are paying before they pay it. I will require price transparency across Michigan’s healthcare system so families can shop, compare, and make informed decisions about their own care. No more mystery bills. Patients are customers and they deserve to be treated like it.

I will reform a legal environment that forces businesses to lawyer up instead of innovate, adding thousands of dollars in hidden costs passed directly to consumers.

Finally, I will order an immediate fiscal cleanup of state government through a comprehensive audit of all expenditures. I will end the $3.5 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse already identified by the House Republican Oversight Committee and work to return those savings directly to taxpayers.

Michigan families deserve a government that works as hard as they do. That starts on day one.

Economic Development

The question: State government’s approach to attracting investment and growing its economy over the past decade has been changeful and often contentious. How would your administration foster economic growth, and do tools like the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund and legislatively set tax credits fit in your plans?

Benson (D): Michigan has real challenges: costs are skyrocketing, wages are stagnant, jobs have disappeared in too many communities, and families are paying some of the highest utility bills in the country while our grid fails far too often. But Michigan is also a place that builds things. We have what the twenty-first century needs most: twenty percent of the world’s fresh surface water, world-class universities, and a manufacturing workforce ready to build the next economy.

My approach to economic development is focused on making Michigan the best place in America to get a job, have a career, and one day retire by investing in four pillars: People, Places, Infrastructure, and Innovation. For the people pillar, that means building a lifelong learning system from birth through career, expanding career and technical education and apprenticeships, and supporting workforce development that ensures every Michigander has access to opportunity.

When it comes to places, we need to build vibrant communities through more affordable housing, downtown revitalization, public spaces and safe neighborhoods that attract families and talent. We will invest in infrastructure by addressing drinking water contamination, expanding transit and rail connections, building EV and broadband networks, and modernizing our energy grid so growth does not raise costs for families.

And I want Michigan to lead in innovation by supporting startups and scale-ups, investing in research universities, creating sector-specific hubs, and launching tools like a Michigan venture capital fund while ensuring transparency and accountability in economic development investments.

Tools like the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and targeted tax credits have a role in this strategy, but only when they come with clear transparency and accountability. The question I’ll always ask is simple: is this actually delivering results for Michigan workers and communities? If the answer is yes, we use it. If not, we fix it.

James (R): Michigan has been spraying incentives at the biggest balance sheets while the businesses that have provided jobs for decades are told to wait their turn. That stops with me.

I’ve grown a small business and created hundreds of jobs right here in Michigan. Nobody else in this race can say that. We are not going to cut or sue our way to prosperity. We have to grow our way there. Experience matters.

My economic philosophy is simple: Retention, Reclamation, Recruiting, in that order. The best way to attract new investment is to treat existing investment with respect. That means running state government like a customer-obsessed small business, focused on contracts, compliance, and capital access for Michigan firms first.

Economic development is not just about brick and mortar. It is about flesh and blood. Real families. Real paychecks.

Michigan’s economy has endured whiplash from one administration to the next and it is killing us. Businesses need stability and certainty to invest, hire, and grow. We are going to do what works.

I will reform MEDC with a bias toward retention and reclamation, a concierge approach to compliance, and real access to capital and contracts for small businesses. I will bring back DEQ and reform EGLE to champion stewardship, not protectionism. And I will end the era of Whitmer’s $670 million SOAR fund, which produced zero jobs.

Michigan’s future is not one sector deep. We will lead a reindustrialization movement built on advanced manufacturing, energy, defense, maritime, agriculture, tech, and tourism, built with local input and control.

The government should work with business, not against it. That culture change starts at the top.

Taxes

The question: After years of pandemic-era surpluses, Michigan is facing a changing fiscal outlook, with federal policy changes putting pressure on the state government budgets. What, if anything, would you seek to change about Michigan’s system of taxation, and how would you pay for any tax cuts?

Benson (D): For too many working Michiganders, it feels like the cards are stacked against them — whether it’s rising costs, stagnant wages, or the growing burden of caring for aging family members. The question is how we make our tax system work for the people who actually keep this state running.

I will make sure this is done in a fiscally responsible way. As Secretary of State, I transformed branch offices, cut inefficiencies, and redirected the funds freed up to make the investments we needed. I’ll take the same approach as governor to ensure this fits into a budget that works for everyone.

I’ll also work to create new revenue streams by encouraging growth in our tourism industry and other key economic drivers that will generate additional economic revenue and investment for our local communities and our state. By thinking creatively, taking a comprehensive view of the budget, and identifying new sources of revenue while cutting wasteful spending, we can do more with less and invest in the things that matter without raising taxes.

James (R): Michigan families are getting squeezed. Groceries cost more. Energy bills are up. And too many people are working two jobs just to keep the lights on. That is what happens when Lansing stops working for you and starts working against you.

Michigan now has the highest unemployment rate in the entire Midwest. States like Ohio, Tennessee, and Georgia are growing and winning. We are losing jobs, losing people, and losing ground. That has to stop.

Here is my plan.

First, I am cutting your income taxes. Twenty-five percent in year one, with a goal of eliminating the income tax entirely.

Second, I am going to make Michigan competitive for businesses again. When companies have a better deal next door, they leave. And when they leave, so do the jobs. We are going to fix that.

Third, we are going to pay for all of this the way your family does at home: by spending less. Whitmer grew Lansing’s budget by over 50% in eight years. Yet nothing is 50% better. In fact, the state is worse off in nearly every category. I will audit every dollar, cut the waste, and put your money back where it belongs.

I will also create targeted tax breaks for businesses that train workers in the skills Michigan actually needs right now. More good jobs with better paychecks.

One more thing. There is a proposal to add a 5% surcharge on top earners. Sounds good on paper. What it actually does is chase away the people who sign the front of paychecks. We cannot tax our way to prosperity. We have to grow our way there.

That is exactly what I am going to do.

Housing

The question: Michigan has a longstanding housing affordability problem, from high rent prices to low supply. How would you work to increase the availability and attainability of housing for all Michiganders?

Benson (D): No matter where I go in Michigan, I hear from workers, families, and retirees who want to afford a home in the community where they live and work. In Traverse City, nurses and cherry farmers can’t find places to raise families when homes cost nearly a million dollars. In Detroit, rising rents and property taxes are pricing out families who have lived in the city for generations.

The problem is clear: for decades, restrictive zoning laws, outdated building codes, and slow permitting have strangled new construction while more people compete for fewer homes. We need to build more quality housing efficiently and effectively.

As governor I will cut red tape and end the bureaucracy so we can make it easier and faster to build new housing and streamline costs. That means increasing efficiencies and eliminating the obstacle course that developers endure simply to build in our state, creating a statewide housing data system to align permitting and building systems with real community needs, and expanding tax credits to help homebuyers afford a place to live. I’ll also ban the sale of homes to private equity firms in their first 100 days on the market and give communities control over short-term rentals, while strengthening protections for renters, expanding rental assistance, and holding absentee landlords accountable. At the same time, I will expand and modernize the Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit to reflect today’s housing costs and inflation, raising income eligibility limits and adjusting benefit levels so more working families, seniors, and fixed-income homeowners can keep up with rising property tax bills. Together, these steps will ensure more Michiganders can afford to live and stay in the communities they love.

James (R): The American Dream was not supposed to be something you had to leave Michigan to find.

Let me give you a number that should make your blood boil. Liberal government regulations add $131,734 to the cost of every new home in America. Added by bureaucrats who have never built anything in their lives. And that number jumped 40% in just five years.

For every $1,000 increase in home prices, thousands more Michigan families lose their shot at owning a home forever. This is not an accident, it is what the left does. They make you dependent and then they call it compassion.

That ends with me.

Fast permits. Legal reform. Repeal the energy mandates driving up costs. And build housing near jobs so Michigan families can live where they work.

Here is the truth nobody in Lansing wants to say: the government did not build your home. A builder did. Every regulation and every delay is a bureaucrat putting their hand in your pocket.

My parents came to Michigan because they believed hard work still meant something here. I am running for Governor to make sure your children never have to leave to find out if that is still true.

Diversification

The question: Michigan has long anchored its economic identity around the automobile, with one industry group estimating the mobility sector employs about 20% of all Michigan workers. But mobility employment continues to decline here as it grows in the US. What does Michigan need to do about its national place in mobility jobs, and how does diversifying the economy fit into that? Are there particular sectors or industries you would target for growth and why?

Benson (D): Michigan put the world on wheels, and our auto industry is a cornerstone of our economy. But we also need to diversify our industries to include emerging economies and expand job creation and opportunity. Costs are rising, wages haven’t kept pace, and too many communities have watched jobs disappear over the last several decades.

We don’t have to choose between supporting the industries that built Michigan and investing in the industries that will shape our future. We need to do both.

As governor, my focus will be on making Michigan the best place in America to have an idea, start a business, raise a family, and build a career. Every Michigander should have access to a great education, affordable childcare, career and technical training, apprenticeships, and pathways to good-paying jobs without leaving their hometown.

We also need to invest in the foundations of economic growth: reliable infrastructure, affordable energy, clean water, and high-speed internet. Businesses large and small need confidence that Michigan is ready to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.

Mobility and advanced manufacturing will remain central to our economy, but we also have enormous opportunities to grow in healthcare, life sciences, defense, semiconductors, clean energy and technology. We already have world-class universities, skilled workers, abundant natural resources and a strong manufacturing base. Our job is to connect those strengths to new opportunities.

If we do that, we can create an economy that is more resilient, more innovative, and more affordable — one where every Michigander has the chance not just to get by, but to get ahead.

James (R): Michigan builds nearly 20% of all U.S. autos and employs close to 600,000 manufacturing workers. That industrial strength is an asset, not a liability, but bad policy has turned it into a detriment. We are losing mobility jobs to states that want them more.

I will defend Michigan’s automotive base by delivering cheap, reliable energy, a trained workforce, and a competitive tax and regulatory environment. At the same time, I will aggressively grow Michigan’s defense and aerospace sector. Selfridge Air National Guard Base is the hub of what I call Fortress Michigan. From F-15EX fighters to KC-46 tankers to Golden Dome hypersonic defense and cyber capabilities, Michigan can be the arsenal of democracy once again.

I also see major opportunities in life sciences, shipbuilding, logistics, and defense manufacturing. Michigan has the talent, the engineering, the work ethic, and the infrastructure. What we have lacked is leadership with a vision to put it all together. That changes with me as Michigan’s Governor.

Population

The question: Michigan’s population has largely flatlined in the 21st century, dependent on domestic and international migration for growth, and a “silver tsunami” of retiring Michiganders is looming. How would you tackle Michigan’s aging crisis and what steps would you take to grow the state’s population?

Benson (D): Turning around our stagnant population growth is personal to me. I’m a mom of a ten year old kid who, in just a few years, will be deciding whether to stay or leave Michigan. I know we have everything it takes to grow our economy, build a talented workforce and ensure our loved ones choose Michigan to call home. We can build on our leading academic institutions, natural resources, international borders, and strong manufacturing base to become the economic engine of the Midwest.

That’s why as governor, my focus will be on driving down costs and growing our economy — making Michigan among the most affordable states in the country — so our loved ones choose to stay and young people across the country come here to work and build a thriving career.

My affordability agenda will streamline regulations to increase housing supply, ease access to health insurance to lower healthcare costs, modernize our energy grid and invest in renewable energy to lower energy costs, and expand quality child care access to ensure our youngest Michiganders and their parents have the support needed to succeed.

An economic vision that invests in our people, our communities, and diversifies our economy enables us to attract and retain our talent and ensure the next generation chooses Michigan as the best place to build their future.

James (R): You know things are bad when your own hockey captain wants a trade.

Dylan Larkin. Born and raised in Michigan. Eleven years a Red Wing. He wants out. So does your neighbor. So does your kid. So did the MSU president who took a pay cut just to escape a broken board that Whitmer never held accountable. He was not alone. The Athletic Director followed him right out the door, heading to the school we will always remember as the one Oakland University sent home as a 14 seed in the big dance.

Michigan is not just losing people. Michigan is losing hope. Our schools rank 44th. We are about to lose a congressional seat due to population. At some point this stops being bad luck and starts being exactly what it looks like: failed leadership.

Everyone is talking about MSU. Nobody is connecting the dots. Bad boards do not exist in a vacuum. They thrive under bad policy and zero accountability. Whitmer built that environment and good, talented people are paying the price by heading south. MSU is not the exception. It is the rule.

North Carolina is eating our lunch with a smaller budget and similar demographics. We have beaten longer odds. We know how to win. We just need leadership that actually wants to.

When I am Governor we are cutting the income tax, lowering energy prices, bringing Dylan home to Waterford, and hanging a USA Hockey gold medal on the Gordie Howe Bridge. Michigan is going to be a place people are proud to stay, proud to build, and proud to call home again.

Faith, family, and hard work built this state. Lansing spent eight years chasing that out. We are bringing it back.