Jocelyn Benson

According to the Michigan Secretary of State, 9.2% or 679,316 Michiganders have cast ballots in the November election as of Sunday.

In their second gubernatorial debate, Jocelyn Benson tied John James to Trump tariffs and gas prices, while James cited state job losses and school declines.

The Michigan Constitution puts the state board of education independently in charge of public instruction and hiring a state superintendent. John James says as governor, he'd want more control.

Jocelyn Benson frequently tried to tie John James to Donald Trump and unpopular administration policies. James routinely emphasized his willingness to break with the president.

As of Monday, October 5, more than 120,000 Michiganders have already voted. That's roughly 1.7% of active registered voters in Michigan.

Republican gubernatorial candidate John James speaks outside the site of a planned data center in Saline Township on October 2, 2026.

According to the Secretary of State website, 1.3% of eligible Michiganders have voted (93,154 people) as of October 2. Michigan has just under 2 million vote-by-mail voters.

Both Republican John James and Democrat Jocelyn Benson have taken on endorsements from emergency workers and veterans in their campaigns for Michigan governor.

Michigan gubernatorial candidates Jocelyn Benson and John James outlined their plans to lower costs, addressing tariffs, data centers, health care, and state government.

Asked for his plan to make new homes cheaper, Republican John James leaned into deregulation. Democrat Jocelyn Benson said she prefers cutting costs by expanding tax credits for first-time homebuyers.