LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan’s two major-party candidates for governor are running on the same core issue this fall, even though they’re rarely making the case in the same room.
John James, a Republican U.S. representative and combat veteran endorsed by President Trump, spent part of the week campaigning across the Upper Peninsula, including a stop in Marquette. Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee and current Michigan Secretary of State, addressed supporters at a campaign event in Detroit.
James pointed to the cost of building a new home in Michigan, tying it directly to state regulation. “It costs an additional $115,000. You think Yoopers can afford that? Absolutely not,” James said.
He made a similar argument about energy costs, particularly for U.P. residents heating their homes through the winter. “When you look at the energy regulations that are driving up costs for heating your home in the wintertime, Yoopers can’t afford that,” James said.
James also touched on health care, framing it around protecting existing federal programs from fraud rather than expanding them. “We are pushing back on fraudsters and people who would steal from vital programs like Medicaid,” James said, adding that his first bill in Congress was aimed at protecting Medicare and Social Security.
Benson talked about health care costs in a different context, describing a recent conversation with seniors in Saginaw. “I sit down with seniors in Saginaw, as I did earlier today, who are anxious about finding ways to pay for medicine on a fixed income as those costs rise but their income stays stagnant,” Benson said.
She also described a conversation with a mother in Muskegon weighing basic expenses. “I see those battle lines drawn when I talk to the single mom in Muskegon who has to decide whether to eat or pay rent,” Benson said.
On housing, Benson framed the issue around building wealth rather than construction costs. “We can, and we will help first-time home buyers grow generational wealth and own a home that they can build a family in with safety and ease,” Benson said.
Michigan voters will decide the governor’s race on Nov. 3.
