Michigan Governor Race 2026: Benson vs. James

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) faces U.S. Rep. John James (R) for the seat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is leaving; Libertarian, Green, and U.S. Taxpayers nominees are also on the ballot. Benson and James are both running on cost of living. Benson says driving down costs and growing the economy would be her focus. James, who carries Trump's endorsement, promises a "comprehensive audit of all expenditures," repeal of the clean energy mandate, and a 25 percent cut to the 4.25 percent income tax in his first year as the start of a phase-out. He has cast Benson as part of the leadership that "got us lost in the first place." The sharper contrast may be over 2020. James, who lost Senate races in 2018 and 2020, has since said he was "screwed" and falsely claimed Trump won Michigan in 2020, a claim aimed at Benson, the official who ran that election.

The two met twice in October, and Trump was the subtext both times. At the first debate James said he can "agree with the president without worshipping him," pointing to his calls to end the Iran war quickly and to negotiate on Canadian tariffs, and said he sees no need for ICE in Michigan; Benson called the tariffs the "John James tax." At the second she blamed gas prices on "a reckless war in Iran" that James voted six times to keep going, and said he backed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. They also split on data centers: Benson wants stricter guardrails on noise and electricity costs, while James would change state law so communities can reject them, and each has accused the other of profiting from the industry.

Benson's running mate is Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, the first pairing of women for governor and lieutenant governor; James is running with state Rep. Jay DeBoyer. Benson has also held a wide money lead, with more than $6.4 million on hand to James's $1.4 million in July filings, though Dan and Pamella DeVos have given $6 million to the pro-James super PAC Mission Michigan since 2025. On television the gap is wider: Democrats held a $23 million to $1 million edge in future ad reservations as of October 1, and the Republican Governors Association-backed group has since stopped funding broadcast ads. History cuts both ways. Benson is trying to win a third straight term for her party, which no party has done in this governorship in about 35 years. James is trying to end a drought: Republicans have not won statewide in Michigan in more than a decade.