Elections

During the Democrats' U.S. Senate debate, Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) said there is an antisemitism problem in the Democratic Party, noting that a state convention attendee yelled an "antisemitic slur" at her Jewish husband in April.

A second attempt at a Mackinac Island Policy Conference gubernatorial debate was put down after the campaign for Democratic frontrunner Jocelyn Benson declined to participate after independent Mike Duggan dropped out of the race yesterday.

A small group of folks close to former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan received a 48-hour notice that he would publicly end his independent campaign for governor. One source told MIRS that when he no longer saw a path toward winning, he wouldn't wait and pretend that he did.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan ended his campaign Thursday, 56 days before the filing deadline and days after polls showed the former Detroit mayor losing momentum despite $14 million in third-party ad spending on his behalf.

Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson took debate swings at each other over corporate and utility campaign contributions. Duggan accused Benson of pocketing a $1.5 million check from the —Babe Ruth of data centers,— and Benson called him the lying "corporate candidate."

A former Detroit judge who has been prohibited from serving on the bench for six years has not given up her fight to get on the 2026 ballot.

The recent Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais has sent some states across the nation racing to redistrict their maps. With the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC), though, Michigan can’t do so without another constitutional amendment. MIRS asked several people questions regarding the recent decision to get their opinion.

The three Democrats seeking to succeed U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) in MI-10 – one of the country's most competitive battlegrounds – were set to debate next Tuesday until organizers canceled it.

U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) fired back at gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson’s claims he violated election law for implying he’s the incumbent governor and not a candidate on his campaign material.

Rachel Keys is entering the 108th House District race as the lone Democrat.

Five petition circulators whose names appeared in a 2024 Bureau of Elections memo identifying petition sheets with “clear indications of fraud” also circulated petitions for Republican gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson's this year, according to information shared with MIRS.

West Michigan Republican powerhouse Dick DeVos is beginning to make fundraising calls in support of gubernatorial candidate John James, MIRS has learned, a development that will help the Congressman push back with paid media down the line against primary opponent Perry Johnson and his bottomless pockets.

Saginaw City Fire Captain Chedrick Greene won in the special 35th state Senate race Tuesday night by 19 points (58.87% to 39.42%), restoring Democrats' 20-seat majority in the chamber. It also marks Democrats' 27th win out of 39 special legislative and congressional elections that have taken place so far this year throughout the country.

One of the Republicans' two likely state Supreme Court nominees, Oscoda Judge Cassandra L. Morse-Bills, is being accused in a whistleblower suit of improperly exchanging text messages with a juror in a sex assault case.

A transgender candidate in the 2nd House District should be kicked off the ballot because her new name was never made official, according to a complaint filed this week by the candidate's opponent, former Rep. Frank Liberati.

Progressive-minded advocacy groups are using mostly unreported “dark money” to fuel their ballot proposal to stop utilities and government contractors from spending money on politics, according to finance reports released this week.

A Royal Oak woman is taking her fight to get her name on the Aug. 4 Republican primary ballot for U.S. Senate to the federal appeals court.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, and Washtenaw County are alleged to have violated the Campaign Finance Act’s prohibition against using public resources for political purposes.

A new survey of likely Republican primary voters shows U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) holding an 18-point lead in the 2026 GOP gubernatorial race, while also highlighting deep engagement among the party’s base and strong alignment with President Donald Trump.

History was not made at last week’s filing deadline. Lansing’s Elyon Badger did not turn in the 1,000 signatures needed to make the August ballot in the 7th Congressional District.