5 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
Candidates
5
Incumbent
Open seat
Parties
Democratic · Republican · Libertarian · Green · U.S. Taxpayers
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Lowering everyday costs — she frames the goal as a government that 'saves us time, saves us money and makes our life easier.'
Health care built on 'access, affordability, and fairness': a caregiver tax credit, help for people fighting insurance denials, and a prescription drug affordability board.
Expanding affordable housing and taking on out-of-state corporate landlords who buy up properties and raise rents.
Investing in public education and childcare, and cutting energy costs.
Protecting abortion rights and voting rights.
Making Michigan the best state to start and grow a small business.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Michigan secretary of state since January 2019; re-elected in 2022.
Former dean of Wayne State University Law School; ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2010.
Administered Michigan's 2020 general election and publicly refused calls to alter the certified result.
Refused a 2025 U.S. Department of Justice demand for Michigan's voter registration data; a federal judge and an appeals court panel both rejected the department's bid for access.
Won the August 4 2026 Democratic primary with about 83.2% of the vote over Sheriff Chris Swanson.
Reported about $5.9 million on hand as of August 24 2026, having raised roughly $1.8 million in the preceding period from about 17,700 donations averaging $102.
Arguments in favor
She has already run Michigan's elections through the hardest test they have faced, and did not bend when pressured to change the 2020 result — which her supporters present as proof she can hold a line under pressure.
— Jocelyn Benson for Governor campaign
Her health agenda is specific rather than aspirational — a caregiver tax credit, an office to help people fight insurance denials, and a prescription drug affordability board — and she has said she will use executive authority if the legislature will not act.
— Jocelyn Benson, in a January 2026 interview with Michigan Public
Her fundraising is heavily small-dollar, averaging about $102 a donation, which supporters contrast with the super PAC money behind her opponent.
— Jocelyn Benson for Governor campaign, as reported by Bridge Michigan
Arguments against
Noncitizens have repeatedly turned up on Michigan's voter rolls on her watch, including at least 15 found to have cast ballots in 2024 and 14 registered voters identified by the Macomb County clerk, and she has not adequately answered for it.
— Michigan's Republican congressional delegation — Reps. Tom Barrett, Jack Bergman, Bill Huizenga, John Moolenaar, John James, Tim Walberg and Rep. Lisa McClain — in a joint letter
She has 'lost five lawsuits due to her malfeasance in elections,' and there are 'hundreds of illegals on our jury duty rolls' under her administration.
— John James, Republican nominee
She is running for governor while still serving as the state's chief election officer, an arrangement critics say she should have given up.
— John James, Republican nominee
What we couldn’t verify
Her position on Michigan's minimum wage and tipped-wage law could not be established from a source read directly.
How she would fund the caregiver tax credit and prescription drug board given the legislature's composition.
Her stance on new data centre development beyond listing it as an issue area on her campaign site.
A 'Freedom Agenda' centred on an anti-corruption package: financial disclosure for state officials and ending Michigan's FOIA exemptions for the governor and legislature.
Phasing out Michigan's state income tax and cutting what he calls 'pet projects from politicians in Lansing.'
Public safety first: 'Michigan will have safe streets on my watch. I don't care who I have to lock up to make that happen.'
Ending sanctuary city policies and cooperating with federal removal of criminal illegal immigrants.
Cutting regulation he says raises the cost of building homes, and lowering energy costs.
Lowering health care costs.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for Michigan's 10th congressional district since January 2023.
West Point graduate; U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq.
President of James Group International, his family's Detroit-based logistics company.
Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020; lost to Debbie Stabenow and then Gary Peters.
Won the August 4 2026 Republican primary with about 50.1% over businessman Perry Johnson.
Reported about $1.5 million on hand as of August 24 2026, plus $371,000 in state public campaign funding; the super PAC Mission Michigan had spent more than $4.7 million supporting him by late July.
Holds an A+ rating from SBA Pro-Life America for his congressional voting record.
Arguments in favor
His Freedom Agenda would force disclosure Michigan currently does not require — the state exempts the governor and legislature from FOIA — which supporters present as a genuine anti-corruption measure rather than a slogan.
— John James for Michigan campaign
He is a combat veteran and a manufacturer who has met payroll, and would bring that experience to the cost of doing business in Michigan.
— John James for Michigan campaign
He carries President Trump's endorsement and consolidated the Republican field early, and has drawn maximum contributions from the DeVos family and much of Michigan's business donor base.
— President Donald Trump and Michigan Republican donors, as reported by Bridge Michigan and WOOD-TV
Arguments against
He was recorded saying he would sign the most conservative anti-abortion bill possible, after previously trying to distance himself from that record.
— Michigan Democratic Party
He 'fully embraced Trump's 2020 election denial lies' and is unfit to oversee a state's elections.
— Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson
In Congress he voted in lockstep with the Trump agenda against Michigan's interests — for the tariffs, and for a tax law that cut Medicaid and let ACA premium tax credits lapse.
— Michigan Democratic Party
What we couldn’t verify
Whether he would sign a specific abortion restriction given Michigan's 2022 constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights; no direct statement reconciling the two was located.
The timetable and revenue replacement for phasing out the state income tax.
Whether he would resign his House seat before or after the general election.
Eliminating Michigan's property tax and state income tax, and cutting vehicle registration fees and the gas tax.
Reducing regulation to lower costs for families and small businesses.
Restoring local decision-making over energy projects and expanding the use of natural gas.
Protecting Second Amendment rights and strengthening parental rights in education.
Increasing state cooperation on immigration enforcement.
Improving mental health resources and support for veterans.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Army, 1999 to 2001.
Owner of a small trucking company; has worked as a truck driver.
Has not previously held elected office.
Ran for governor as a Republican before leaving the party in February 2026; nominated by the Libertarian Party of Michigan on June 28 2026.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised advocacy for his candidacy and no criticism of him by name from an opposing campaign or outlet could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side.
His campaign finance filings were not located.
How he would replace the revenue from eliminating the property and income taxes.
Has been a repeat candidate for office in Michigan, including on Green Party tickets in past cycles.
Nominated by the Green Party of Michigan for the 2026 general election.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
His stated policy positions for this race could not be established — no campaign website or platform document was located, so standsFor is left empty rather than filled in from the national Green Party platform.
No advocacy for and no criticism of him by name could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side.
A self-described constitutional conservative platform.
Reducing the size and cost of state government.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Chair of the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan.
Owner of Buckeye Trenchers and other businesses; graduate of Western Michigan University in business, marketing and finance.
Ran for governor in 2022: the Michigan Bureau of Elections found fraudulent signatures among those submitted on her nominating petitions by the firm First Choice Consulting, and she was one of five Republican candidates disqualified from the August 2022 primary ballot by the Board of State Canvassers. The Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal.
Appeared on the November 2022 general election ballot as the U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate for governor.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Her detailed 2026 policy positions could not be established from a source read directly beyond the general framing on her campaign site.
No organised advocacy for her candidacy and no criticism of her by name from an opposing 2026 campaign or committee could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Open seat: Democrat Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited. Roster established from Wikipedia's race page, Ballotpedia, Michigan Advance's general-election voter guide and reporting by ClickOnDetroit, Bridge Michigan and WLNS, cross-checked. Jocelyn Benson won the August 4 2026 Democratic primary with about 83.2% over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson; John James won the Republican primary with about 50.1% over businessman Perry Johnson after a Trump endorsement. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who had been running as an independent, ended his bid on May 21 2026 and is not on the ballot. Three minor-party tickets qualified through party conventions: Anthony Hudson (Libertarian), Douglas Campbell (Green) and Donna Brandenburg (U.S. Taxpayers). Michigan elects governor and lieutenant governor as a single ticket. The three minor-party candidates are listed with empty argument sections: no organised advocacy for them and no criticism of them by name from an opposing campaign, committee or outlet could be found, and inventing either would be worse than leaving them blank. The exact ballot order of the minor-party columns could not be confirmed.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Michigan ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.