With early voting now open, four candidates remain in the 2026 primary election, each seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Here are the candidates vying to represent their party this November. The primary election is Aug. 4.
Jocelyn Benson (D)
Jocelyn Benson is the current Secretary of State for Michigan. She is running as a Democrat in the Michigan gubernatorial race. Prior to being elected Secretary of State and running for Governor, Benson made history as the youngest woman to lead an accredited law school as she was appointed Dean of Wayne State University Law School at the age of 35. Notably, during her time as Secretary of State, she created self-service stations for Michigan’s motor vehicle department to decrease wait times and increase accessibility.
Benson’s campaign lists her priorities as eight main issues: affordability, housing, healthcare, childcare, energy costs, education, environment and data centers.
Benson's campaign aims to increase housing availability and affordability, lower costs of medical care by increasing billing transparency and make childcare more affordable by bringing Rx Kids statewide. She plans to rebuild Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services to make healthcare more affordable and increase options for low or no-cost preventative healthcare.
Benson promises to work toward reducing the cost of energy through reforms. She wants a better and more accomplished school system, through recruiting and retaining educators, equitable funding for schools, literacy goals, a statewide graduation standard and other initiatives. Benson says she will regulate data centers in that they must create well-paying job opportunities and not increase energy costs. She said will encourage transparency and disclosure to communities where data centers are being built.
John James (R)
John James currently represents Michigan’s 10th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and has held that position since 2023. He is running as a Republican in the Michigan gubernatorial race. James served for eight years in the U.S. Army as a ranger-qualified aviation officer. Upon returning home and prior to his work in politics, he led his family business, James Group International, a supply chain and logistics company.
James’ campaign highlights six main issues: freedom from corruption agenda, the clear initiative, parents’ bill of rights for Michigan, education freedom agenda, make work great again and the Michigan family health and freedom plan.
James' campaign promises to increase government transparency by applying the state Freedom of Information Act to the governor's office and the Michigan legislature, which are currently exempt from the law. He also plans to increase spending transparency, auditing the previous ten years of government spending and voter rolls, funding the auditor general's office, and more.
John James will establish a Parents' Bill of Rights outlining the rights parents and their children have in areas like consent, education and others. The Parents' Bill of Rights can be found on James' website. He aims to increase Michigan's education level, improve school systems and opt Michigan into the Federal K-12 Education Freedom Tax Credit, a program that allows individuals to receive federal tax credits for up to $1,700 to authorized scholarship-granting organizations; donations are then distributed to qualifying students to be used for public or private education costs.
James' campaign promises to eliminate income tax, lower costs of healthcare, increase transparency and informed consent within the health care system and uphold the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again initiative.
Perry Johnson (R)
Perry Johnson is a businessman, author and former Republican candidate for governor in 2022. He is running as a Republican in the Michigan gubernatorial race. Johnson has written several books on economics and business and quality management. His books include "Two Cents to Save America," "Meeting the New International Standards" and "Keeping Score: Strategies and Tactics for Winning the Quality War."
Johnson’s campaign emphasizes five key priorities: eliminate the Michigan income tax, reform Michigan property taxes, Michigan efficiency government audit, making energy affordable and Perry’s education plan.
Johnson's campaign aims to eliminate income taxes by eliminating policy-driven spending, cracking down on fraud and abuse, streamlining state government payroll and cutting two cents out of every dollar for discretionary spending. He wants to reform property taxes with his four-pillar plan of lowering and capping school operating millages, support an amendment to the state constitution to reduce or eliminate the property tax, particularly for seniors older than 65, and expand and simplify property tax credits and funding relief through efficiency and spending reform, not higher taxes.
Johnson wants to conduct a full department-by-department audit of government spending to eliminate waste and increase efficiency. He says he will lower the cost of energy by capping runaway utility rates, ending corporate subsidies, eliminating waste and inefficiency and increasing competition and choice. Additionally, he hopes to improve the school systems and education in Michigan.
Chris Swanson (D)
Chris Swanson is the Sheriff of Genesee County, Michigan. He is running as a Democrat in the Michigan gubernatorial race. Before running for office, Swanson worked as a police officer and paramedic. He was a professor of Public Health at Eastern Michigan University and University of Michigan - Flint.
Swanson’s campaign is grounded in six issues: a seven-point education plan, a better Lansing plan focused on political reforms, a build in Michigan initiative focused on economic growth, public safety measures through his safe communities are strong communities platform, a pet protection plan and a cannabis protection plan.
Swanson hopes to implement his 7-Point Education Plan to improve Michigan schools in many ways. Swanson wants to audit restructure the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, reduce FOIA exemptions, bring more jobs to Michigan and create greater access to career technical education.
Swanson aims to reduce energy costs by increasing energy production and making sure DTE and Consumers only raise rates when they can guarantee better service. He promises to keep communities safe by funding infrastructure, such as bulletproof glass and metal detectors for schools, expanding I.G.N.I.T.E. to jails across the state and creating a Governor's Human Oppression Strike Team modeled after Genesee County's Human Oppression Strike Team.
Swanson's campaign promises to protect pets by creating a public registry for animal abusers, change the legal designation of pets from objects to living property, and offer support at the state level for animal rescues and foster homes. Finally, he says he will reduce tax burden on cannabis in addition to fighting any efforts to roll back the legalization of cannabis and more with his Cannabis Protection Plan.
Aric Nesbitt and Mike Cox have suspended their campaigns but will still appear on the ballot.
