Michigan

D held
Our call: DDem +8.8closes 9:00 PM ET
Called · 33% in · Benson +6.5 (our call)
Lean Dopen seat

Who's running

Jocelyn BensonD
52.4%33% inWon

Jocelyn Benson was born in Pittsburgh. She studied at Wellesley, Oxford, and Harvard Law. She investigated hate groups for the Southern Poverty Law Center and was dean of Wayne State's law school from 2012 to 2016. She lost her first run for secretary of state in 2010, then won in 2018 and again in 2022. She ran Michigan's 2020 election. She announced for governor in January 2025 and won the August primary with 83 percent.

What they say they'll do
  • Lower costs and grow the economy.
  • Stricter rules on data center noise and electricity costs.
  • Protect election workers with tougher penalties for harassing them.
  • Government ethics and transparency reforms.
John JamesR
45.9%33% inLost

John James grew up in Detroit. He went to West Point and flew Apache helicopters in Iraq. He then joined his family's logistics company. He lost U.S. Senate races in 2018 and 2020. He won a U.S. House seat in 2022 and again in 2024. He announced for governor in April 2025, got Trump's endorsement, and won the August primary with 50 percent.

What they say they'll do
  • A full audit of all state spending.
  • Cut the 4.25 percent income tax by 25 percent in year one and phase it out.
  • Repeal the state clean energy mandate.
  • Change state law so communities can reject data centers.

The tea ☕

  • James has falsely claimed Trump won Michigan in 2020, a jab at Benson, who ran that election. He also refused to concede his own 2020 Senate loss for weeks.
  • In the debates, Benson called tariffs the "John James tax" and blamed high gas prices on "a reckless war in Iran" that she said James voted six times to continue. James said he can "agree with the president" without worshipping him.
  • Democrats had $23 million in future ad reservations to $1 million for Republicans as of October 1, and a Republican Governors Association-backed group stopped funding broadcast ads. The DeVos family has given $6 million to a pro-James super PAC.
  • In July 2026, CAIR accused James of Islamophobia over comments about Islamic extremism. He said he would seek to designate CAIR a terrorist organization.
  • The Libertarian Party of Michigan disavowed its own nominee in September. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan ran as an independent but ended his campaign in May 2026.

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