Michigan’s 4th District House Race Winner

Federal emergency orders keeping the J.H. Campbell coal plant in west Michigan running have emerged as a campaign issue in the state's 4th District U.S. House race. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has repeatedly extended 90-day directives forcing the plant to stay open past its planned closure, citing electricity supply concerns, despite Consumers Energy's earlier deal with state officials to shut it down.

Democratic challenger Sean McCann is attacking GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga over the plant's continued operation, arguing it has raised Consumers Energy customers' bills by more than $200 million and pledging to push for its closure if elected. Huizenga counters that Michigan's clean-energy mandates, championed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democrats including McCann, are driving up utility costs and threatening reliable power. Rep. Hillary Scholten joined McCann in criticizing the administration's intervention as an unprecedented move against a private utility's decision. The dispute reflects a broader national fight over fossil fuel plant closures versus renewable energy transitions, playing out in a district expected to be closely contested this November.

The Kalamazoo City Commission unanimously passed a resolution opposing a Nov. 3 ballot measure that would amend the city charter to create a seven-member Citizens' Advisory Healthcare Action Board. Officials argue the city has no authority over health policy and the board would produce reports without power to enact change, creating ongoing costs for residents. The measure, also on ballots in Portage, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Lansing and East Lansing, is backed by Community Action Michigan, which raised $1.4 million and has run ads targeting two Republican congressmen. A GOP consultant says the effort is really aimed at influencing a congressional race, which organizers dispute. Voters can still spoil submitted ballots this week.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted work on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project in Joliet, Illinois, on July 24, pausing construction of a roughly $1.2 billion barrier designed to stop invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The system combines engineered water flow, underwater sound, bubble curtains and electric current to block carp while allowing barge traffic.

Ohio Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Dave Joyce, joined by Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingell and Bill Huizenga, sent a letter urging the administration to lift the stop-work order, noting the project is fully funded and reviewed. Urgency grew after Illinois officials found juvenile silver carp in the Illinois River just 80 miles from Lake Michigan in mid-August, the farthest upstream detection in 16 years of monitoring. Experts warn established carp populations could devastate native fish species and the region's fishing economy. Construction began in 2024 with completion projected around 2030, a timeline already delayed by funding pauses.

Control of the Michigan House of Representatives, all 110 seats of which are on the Nov. 3 ballot, hinges on six competitive districts, three of them in Metro Detroit. Republicans currently hold a 58-52 majority after flipping the chamber in 2024, and Democrats need to sweep these toss-ups to regain the majority.

The key races include the 27th District (Jaime Churches vs. incumbent Rylee Linting), 31st District (Shannon Dare Wayne vs. Laura Perry, an open seat), 44th District (Jim Haadsma vs. incumbent Steve Frisbie, a rematch after Haadsma lost by 79 votes in 2024), 46th District (Jan Maino vs. incumbent Kathy Schmaltz), 54th District (Sarah Pounds vs. Roman Gaskey, another open seat), and 109th District (Anna Aho Rink vs. incumbent Karl Bohnak). Several races are drawing heavy ad spending and feature first-time candidates. Outcomes will determine whether Republicans retain their narrow majority or Democrats reclaim the chamber ahead of 2026 legislative priorities.

A candidate questionnaire from The Denver Post offers a window into the competitive race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District. One contender, a retired Navy rear admiral and former Special Assistant to the President for South Asia, outlined priorities centered on lowering costs, balancing the federal budget, and curbing congressional corruption through term limits, age limits, and a ban on lawmakers trading stocks.

On policy specifics, the candidate called for ending tariffs, passing a comprehensive farm bill, and requiring insurers to reimburse rural hospitals more fairly. They said federal land in the district should not be a default target for new oil and gas leasing, favoring local input over blanket Washington mandates. On immigration, they backed stronger border security paired with legal pathways addressing labor shortages in agriculture and rural health care. They also urged more congressional oversight of executive actions, including unauthorized military engagements and federal spending. Incumbent Lauren Boebert and candidate Douglas Mangeris did not respond to the questionnaire.

Vice President JD Vance rallied for Michigan Republicans at a Sterling Heights event Monday, sharply attacking Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed over past comments referencing second lady Usha Vance, telling him to keep his wife's name "out of your mouth." Vance also criticized El-Sayed's initial response to an attack at Temple Israel, remarks the Democrat later apologized for, and accused a campaign surrogate of past comments sympathetic to the Sept. 11 attacks. El-Sayed has rejected efforts to tie him to terrorism and is focusing his campaign on affordability and health care.

Vance urged voters to back Senate candidate Mike Rogers, along with gubernatorial nominee John James and other Michigan Republicans, ahead of the Nov. 3 election. He also promoted stricter federal requirements for commercial truck drivers tied to immigration status and English proficiency, and criticized the University of Michigan's out-of-state enrollment. Democrats, including Jocelyn Benson, countered by attacking the administration's tariffs on Canada as harmful to Michigan workers.

Republican U.S. House candidate Michael Bouchard released his first general election video ad, "Jump," in which the former Army paratrooper leaps from a plane while pledging to fight socialism if elected to represent Michigan's 10th District. The Rochester Hills candidate's campaign says the ad is part of a seven-figure television and social media push, funded entirely with campaign money, in a race political handicappers rate as a toss-up.

Bouchard will face Democratic nominee Christina Hines, a former Wayne County special victims prosecutor, in November. The winner succeeds GOP Rep. John James, who is running for Michigan governor instead of seeking reelection. The 10th District covers southern Macomb County and Rochester/Rochester Hills in Oakland County.

The ad is set to air during major sports broadcasts and prime programming, with some slots costing tens of thousands of dollars. Bouchard holds an early fundraising edge, reporting roughly $960,000 on hand versus Hines's approximately $160,000, though her campaign has yet to release its first ad.