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

 

MI GOP lawmakers request federal oversight of state’s 2026 elections

Michigan Republican lawmakers have asked the DOJ to oversee the state's 2026 elections, claiming a conflict of interest as Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson runs for governor. The move heightens tensions over election management ahead of a high-stakes election year…

https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2025-11-14/mi-gop-lawmakers-request-federal-oversight-of-states-2026-elections

Democrat Abigail Spanberger elected governor of Virginia

An ex-CIA and federal law enforcement officer who served three terms in the US House of Representatives after flipping a GOP-held district, Spanberger was leading the state's Republican lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears 57% to 43%, with 89% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/04/virginia-governor-abigail-spanberger

Democrat Mikie Sherrill elected governor of New Jersey

Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in race that suggests Democratic resilience amid Trump's second term…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/04/new-jersey-election-result-mikie-sherrill-wins-governor-race

Obama criticizes Trump and Republican policy in stump speech for Abigail Spanberger

"As for the president, he has been focused on critical issues like paving overthe Rose Garden so folks don't get mud on their shoes, and gold-plating the Oval Office and building a $300m ballroom," Obama said. "So Virginia, here's the good news. If you can't visit a doctor, don't worry, he will save you a dance."… 

"We've got a president who deployed the national guard in American cities and claimed to be stopping crime waves that don't actually exist," Obama said. "We've got masked ICE agents in unmarked vans pulling people in off the streets, including US citizens, on the suspicion that they don't look like real Americans."… 

"It's like every day is Halloween except it's all tricks and no treats," Obama said amid reports of immigration raids taking place in Chicago and Los Angeles even on Halloween night… "There is absolutely no evidence Republicans' policies have made life better for you, the people of Virginia," Obama said at the rally. 

"They have devoted enormous energy trying to entrench themselves in power and punishing their enemies and enriching their friends and silencing their critics."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/01/obama-virginia-abigail-spanberger

 

Inside Cuomo’s donor surge - POLITICO

The former governor picked up the most support from upper Manhattan and Jewish enclaves in Brooklyn...

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/21/inside-cuomos-donor-surge-00616868 

 

Governor’s race shaken up by ‘violent’ texts sent by ally of Democratic candidate

Earle-Sears has released new campaign advertisements condemning Democratic former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, her opponenent in the governor's race, for continuing to support Jay Jones, whose private texts three years ago speculated about a senior state Republican getting "two bullets to the head" and "breeding little fascists". 

Jones, a former state lawmaker, has apologized, and Spanberger distanced herself from his remarks, insisting in a statement: "I will always condemn violent language in our politics."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/07/virginia-governor-election-spanberger

 

🚨 GOP Leader FLIPS PARTIES and SEEKS to END Trump’s TERM NOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c1OJX9VVLo

House Democrats call for investigation into release of Mikie Sherrill’s military records - POLITICO

The calls follow reports that the National Archives released improperly redacted files belonging to the New Jersey gubernatorial candidate…

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/25/house-investigation-mikie-sherrill-military-records-00581091