Jocelyn Benson outlines priorities after winning Michigan governor

“Today, we will begin identifying where we can deliver quick relief in the early days of our new term, beginning with the bills families feel every month,” Benson said in a post-election news conference Wednesday, one day after defeating Republican John James. “Together, we will deliver on our plans to create well-paying jobs in the state, strengthen Michigan's workforce, and make sure every kid is college or career ready when they graduate any public school in the state.”…

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-11-04/jocelyn-benson-lays-out-priorities-as-she-prepares-to-lead-michigans-new-democratic-trifecta 

Meet Michigan's governor candidates for 2026 election

Michigan Public requested interviews with each candidate. Only one, Republican John James, did not accept. Here’s what each had to say about how they would address issues Michiganders face...

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-26/michigan-governor-candidates-2026

Second Michigan governor debate features clashes over gas prices, tariffs

Clashing over tariffs, inflation, healthcare cuts…

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-16/republican-john-james-and-democrat-jocelyn-benson-running-for-governor-debate-for-second-time

 

A Democratic upset is brewing in Alaska’s governor’s race as Trump’s popularity craters

Support for 37-year-old Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins could upend the governor’s race in the heavily Republican state…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/02/alaska-governor-candidate-jonathan-kreiss-tomkins

 

Colorado’s Republican governor nominee linked to controversial anti-sex-trafficking ministry

“To whom are these dedicated sworn officers accountable?” she asked. 

Even where a donor sets no formal conditions, she said, “the nature of the funding implies that straying from the donor’s expectations would threaten current and future funding.” What she wanted to know was what measures the Florida agencies had put in place “to assure that private wishes don’t influence public choices”...

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/03/colorado-republican-governor-ministry-victor-marx 

 

Bro got heated and didn’t even know how the government worked

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/e6VXgOYFQNo

 

Crowley zeroes in on ‘MAGA extremism’ to rebuild a fractured Wisconsin coalition - POLITICO

“We’re not all going to agree on everything. But I think we agree that the ultimate goal is making sure that we don’t have a MAGA extremist and congressman Tom Tiffany sitting in the governor’s office,” Crowley said in an interview Thursday, adding that the state “has a grand opportunity in putting some level of check on Trump’s agenda” amid the “affordability crisis.”…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/13/david-crowley-wisconsin-governor-election-strategy-01036209

Mike Lindell's defeat is also Trump's - Live Updates - POLITICO

The former MyPillow CEO’s defeat in Minnesota’s GOP gubernatorial contest is the third loss by a Trump endorsee in the last two weeks...

 https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/08/11/wisconsin-minnesota-south-carolina-connecticut-elections/mike-lindell-trump-endorsements-midterms-01035026

 

Trump hands Xavier Becerra a climate dilemma - POLITICO

If he coasts to victory in November, as expected, Xavier Becerra will face competing pressures: delivering on the affordability message that propelled him through the primary while fending off President Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on California’s climate agenda...

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/31/xavier-becerra-california-climate-goals-trump-01018137

 

Where do primary candidates stand on issues? (Michigan Governor race)

Michigan Public interviewed three gubernatorial candidates on where they stand on data centers, economic development and mass deportations. Below are their responses…

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-07-30/where-do-primary-candidates-stand-on-issues

Johnson campaign calls for apology as some call campaign materials "racist"

An exchange during the Republican gubernatorial debate Thursday is turning into a bigger conversation about political donations and race...

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-07-10/johnson-campaign-calls-for-apology-as-some-call-campaign-materials-racist

 

John James, Republican running for governor, relates Dearborn religious procession to extremism

“Mr. James is literally labeling the First Amendment, constitutionally protected right of freedom of assembly, as somehow un-American and attached to extremism,” CAIR Michigan’s executive director Dawud Walid told Michigan Public. “We find this to be highly problematic especially from an individual who is a veteran defending the rights of Americans.”…

 “The irony of it is that the same people that [James] criticized in Dearborn as extremists have family members displaced or killed” in Iraq due to the war, he said…

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-07-06/john-james-republican-running-for-governor-relates-dearborn-religious-procession-to-extremism

 

California governor’s race: DoJ sends in federal observer over slow count

The US justice department on Friday sent a federal prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles, as Donald Trump continues to make baseless claims that California Democrats were “rigging” the results to win primary elections in the nation’s biggest blue state. 

State officials have rejected the allegations, but the delay in results immediately fueled misinformation about the integrity of California’s elections, with the president, who has long fanned election-conspiracy theories, repeatedly accusing the state of “cheating”...

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/05/california-primary-election-races-too-close-to-call 

 

Auchter's Art: Saying the quiet part out loud

The current Secretary of State (SOS) in Michigan, Jocelyn Benson, is also a candidate for governor in the upcoming election here in Michigan. Of course, one of the duties of the SOS is managing elections, and this raises some questions...

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/opinion/2026-05-15/auchters-art-saying-the-quiet-part-out-loud

 

MI Supreme Court hears case on whether House must send 9 bills to governor's desk

“If the House’s anti-majoritarian tactic is allowed to succeed, it will unilaterally and drastically change Michigan’s bicameral legislature, its separation of powers, our checks and balances, and the majoritarian principles which underlie everything we do in state and local government in this state,” the Senate Democrats’ attorney Mark Brewer told the court. He said no legislative leader should have unilateral power to stop a bill once it has been approved by both the House and Senate...

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2026-05-07/mi-supreme-court-hears-case-on-whether-house-must-send-9-bills-to-governors-desk

 

Longtime Democrat turned independent governor candidate Mike Duggan says voters deserve a 'third choice' - WDET 101.9 FM

“There is nowhere you go in the state where people are not stressed by the cost of housing. Young people are being forced out of the state because they can’t afford their first home, whether it’s an apartment or a house. There’s no easy way to say this, but the jobs of the future are going to Ohio and Indiana. Our biggest export is no longer our cars, it’s our young people. People said you can’t solve the affordable housing problem. In Detroit, we built 6,000 units. And I understand how we did it. We didn’t do it with a lot of state help. But if you both reduce the cost and put in some subsidy, the problem is solvable, as we’ve proven...”
https://wdet.org/2026/05/04/longtime-democrat-turned-independent-governor-candidate-mike-duggan-says-voters-deserve-a-third-choice/ 

 

"Slap in the face": Republican gubernatorial frontrunner John James not committing to debate

Brian Szmytke is a senior advisor with the Oakland County Republican Party. He said James should show up to talk to party faithful, especially since part of his congressional district includes part of Oakland County. 

 “It's honestly a slap in the face to the volunteers that got him elected, because our people put in a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and their money to get him elected. Now he's abandoning that seat, and he's not even showing up to a debate to explain why,” Szmytke said in an interview Thursday...

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-04-10/slap-in-the-face-republican-gubernatorial-frontrunner-john-james-not-committing-to-debate

 

Swalwell campaign imploding after new sexual assault allegation - POLITICO

“We learned from press outlets that there are multiple allegations made against the Congressman,” attorney Elias Dabaie said in an email. “We believe those allegations are baseless and continue to seek the truth. We also want to understand why these allegations would suddenly arise on the eve on an election against the frontrunner in what appears to be a coordinated effort to undermine his candidacy.”…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/10/swalwell-campaign-imploding-amid-sexual-assault-allegation-00867619

 

How Michigan’s next governor will try to fix K-12 schools

Michigan's next governor will inherit an education system in which students are struggling compared to peers in other states 

How will they fix it? 

Bridge asked nine leading candidates to weigh in on a variety of education issues Readers say addressing K-12 school struggles is one of the most pressing issues this election year, according to Bridge Listens survey

https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-03-23/bridge-listens-how-michigans-next-governor-will-try-to-fix-k-12-schools 

 

California billionaires up political action with multimillion-dollar donations

Google founder backs both Republican and Democrat in governor's race while ex-CEO fights billionaire tax…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/11/silicon-valley-donations-california-governor-race