- Michigan governor’s race pits Democrat Jocelyn Benson against Republican John James
- Trump looms over campaigns focused on affordability, health care, education, data centers, more
- Next governor will shape Michigan’s policy direction amid economic and population challenges
Since the imposition of term limits nearly 35 years ago, Michigan’s gubernatorial pendulum swings like clockwork: every eight years, voters opt for a change and elect a governor from the opposite party.
Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is hoping she can buck that cycle in 2026 to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by riding a wave of voter anger aimed at Republicans in Washington, DC.
Republican US Rep. John James, meanwhile, is counting on Michigan voters to again oscillate back to the GOP by persuading voters that Whitmer, Benson and other Democrats are to blame for the state’s trajectory.
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The gubernatorial candidates have had to campaign in the shadow of a behemoth US Senate that’s seen vastly more spending, which has complicated their efforts to reach voters.
Benson’s counterpart in the Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed, is running a substantially more progressive campaign, while President Donald Trump — who faces nearly 60% disapproval in Michigan — has repeatedly inserted himself into state politics and told Michiganders to vote “like I’m on the ballot.”
Despite the hyper-nationalized political environment, the election of Michigan’s next governor is certain to have major policy implications for a state that’s facing struggling schools, population stagnation and an economy outpaced by neighboring states.
Bridge Michigan has worked throughout the election to get in-depth answers from the candidates on pressing policy issues important to readers, as well as fact-checking many of their claims on the campaign trail.
Here’s what else to know before casting your ballot.
Meet the candidates
Jocelyn Benson: A law school dean and civil rights advocate, Benson literally wrote a book on secretaries of state eight years before she was elected to the position in 2018.
(Emily Rose Bennett for Bridge Magazine)
After serving as Michigan’s chief elections officer and “CEO of the DMV,” as she puts it, Benson has overseen overhauls of how both do business. The former was largely due to voter-approved election rules changes, while the latter was due in part to upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new appointment-based system at secretary of state branches has reduced wait times but caused some angst over walk-in appointments. Democracy advocates have praised Benson’s work on elections even as the GOP repeatedly sued her, sometimes winning.
Benson’s campaign promises have centered on affordability and economic growth. “Costs down, wages up and end corruption” has become her campaign slogan, with the last item sometimes swapped for “rights protected.”
She’s also casting her campaign as a way of protecting Whitmer’s legacy in Michigan on the sort of wedge issues that motivate Democrats, from right-to-work laws and abortion to voting access.
John James: A West Point graduate, Army veteran, two-term congressman and scion of a major Michigan logistics business, James has all the trappings of a textbook political candidate.
But James also entered the gubernatorial race with two statewide losses under his belt, coming up short against incumbents Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
He is vacating his Macomb County US House seat for this third quest for statewide office, running on a pledge to reverse the state’s decline in a number of key metrics — stats he cites in nearly every campaign stop.
He has sought to position himself as the candidate of change, arguing the policies promoted by Democrats on everything from economy to energy have only led Michigan toward higher prices and stagnating growth.
James has tried to walk a tightrope in his relationship to Trump, appearing with the president at rallies, but stressing that he would lead the state independently. He’s argued he can bring together diverse interests around shared goals and that his relationship with Trump will help Michigan access federal resources in the latter half of the president’s second term.
On the issues
Trump: Midterms are traditionally seen as a referendum on the party in the White House — and particularly Trump in 2026. He’s at nearly 60% disapproval in Michigan, and analysts have seen voter opinions on the president as a dividing line in key races.
Democrats have sought to tie James to the president at every turn, with Benson’s campaign saying he “stands in lockstep with Donald Trump’s cost-raising agenda.”
On the other hand, Republicans have argued Benson is cut from the same cloth as El-Sayed, and would push an “extreme” policy agenda aligned with his progressive values.
Affordability: The cost of living has been front and center in both campaigns. Benson has sought to link James to Trump’s tariffs, branding related cost increases as a “John James tax” and claiming she could lessen their impact through subnational agreements with Canada.
James in turn has blamed Democratic leadership in Lansing, citing passage of carbon-free energy requirements as an example of liberal policies that have raised electricity rates.
Healthcare: Benson has called it the “defining issue” of the 2026 election and has attacked James relentlessly over the issue, pointing to his voting record in Congress to change Medicaid rules and end enhanced premium tax credits for healthcare plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act.
She also wants to establish a prescription drug affordability board that would have some price-setting power, a body Democrats tried but failed to create when they last had full control of state government.
James has called for more transparency in healthcare pricing, regulating pharmacy benefit managers, along with increasing choice and access in the state’s healthcare system.
Education: Early in his campaign, James unveiled what he called a “parents’ bill of rights” to opt into a federal private school choice program and give parents expansive oversight of their children’s education and health care. He also has pledged to opt Michigan into the Trump-backed education freedom tax credit program on “day one” in office.
Benson, for her part, wants to overhaul how schools are funded in Michigan, set a minimum teaching salary of $60,000 and create a statewide plan to address chronic absenteeism.
Data centers: This issue, more than any other, has become a political football with both sides accusing the other of being tainted by the influence of the burgeoning industry.
Benson’s husband works for a data center developer and personally lobbied for the Saline Township facility, both candidates have accepted campaign funding from developers and James voted for an early version of the “big, beautiful” bill that could have barred local regulations. Benson, after sustained political pressure, has called for a statewide moratorium, while James has called for allowing local governments to block development.
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