Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) is leaning into her self-described “geek” persona in the final week of a primary in which she trails Abdul El-Sayed by double digits.

Pete Buttigieg said Democrats competing in primaries must do more than denounce Republicans or attack factions within their own party. Instead, they should offer voters an affirmative vision, pointing to Michigan’s “very spirited” primary and the limited time Democrats will have to reunite afterward.

As of this afternoon, 18,953 absentee ballots have been spoiled for the August primary election. The Secretary of State's office notes that they're not all tied to the several candidates who've suspended their campaigns, as "people spoil for a bunch of reasons."

Republican gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson has personally donated all but $125 to his $30 million campaign, according to a state filing released this afternoon.

Republican gubernatorial candidate John James has made at least two requests for public funding worth a combined $387,000, according to Bureau of Elections filings released this week.

With two weeks left before the Aug. 4 primary, nearly 40% of expected voters have already filled out a ballot, including some still in the mail or received but not processed yet by local clerks, projected Mark Grebner of Practical Political Data Tuesday afternoon.

Michigan's contentious U.S. Senate primary is, as of today, the second-most expensive Democratic senatorial race in U.S. history and is now $6 million away from being No. 1 with two weeks to go before the Aug. 4 primary, according to research conducted by AdImpact.

The Secretary of State is showing that nine people filed petitions to get on the ballot to run as independents before the 4 p.m. deadline Thursday, including some established political names.

Former State Rep. Sara Cambensy turned in 2,349 signatures to the Richard H. Austin building Thursday in Lansing to be able to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot as an independent in the Michigan 38th Senate District.

The former Michigan Conservative Union president, running for term-limited Sen. Rick Outman (R-Six Lakes)'s seat, claims a state police secretary tried to intimidate homeowners into removing his campaign signs.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Abdul El-Sayed debated at the WOOD TV 8 studio where it turned into a verbal brawl, but both U.S. Senate candidates refused to address the schism in the party.

Oakland County Judge Michael Warren perhaps made political history Tuesday, earning both the Libertarian and Republican parties’ nomination for the Michigan Supreme Court (MSC).

As Anthony Hudson enters the gubernatorial race this week as the Libertarian Party nominee, MIRS reviewed every Michigan governor's race since statehood to see what impact third-party candidates have had.

A fiery exchange broke out between Democratic SD-1 candidates Justin Onwenu and Abraham Aiyash following a candidate forum for their race. Onwenu accused Aiyash of telling him that there was a "silver lining" to the war in the Middle East in that it benefited his campaign.

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."

Lansing will empty out next week for the annual week-long migration to Mackinac Island, prompting pundit questions about the theme and feel expected at the 2026 policy conference in the long shadow of national politics, as well as the chatter of changing who is — or isn't — elected in state politics.