Michigan Public Service Commission

Michigan voters will choose between Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the secretary of state, and Republican John James, a U.S. House member, in the Nov. 3 gubernatorial election, with a televised debate set for Oct. 6. The two candidates diverge sharply across a wide range of policy areas, including health care, housing, energy costs, taxes and utility regulation. Benson has pledged an electricity cost freeze, a Prescription Drug Affordability Board and expanded housing tax credits, while James favors deregulation, increased utility competition and sweeping income tax cuts paired with a government spending audit.

The candidates also split on right-to-work repeal, Line 5 pipeline construction, tariffs on Canada, and their relationships with President Trump, who has endorsed James. On the 2020 election, Benson defends Michigan's results as secure while James has suggested he was "screwed" in his own Senate loss that year. Other flashpoints include transgender athletes in girls sports, abortion rights, data center moratoriums, gun policy, Flock camera regulations and expanding the state's Freedom of Information Act. If elected, Benson would extend Democratic control of the governorship, while James would become Michigan's first Black governor.

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement clearing the way for Acceleration Solar, a 600-plus-acre, 90-megawatt solar project spanning Leslie, Onondaga and Vevay townships in Ingham County. It is the first project to be approved under Public Act 233 of 2023, a Democrat-backed law allowing renewable energy developers to bypass local opposition by seeking state-level approval for large solar, wind and battery storage projects.

Under the settlement with developer Ranger Power, the townships will receive at least $180,000 in direct payments, plus noise monitoring, tree screening, decommissioning guarantees, county drain improvements and fire department training. Local officials gave mixed reviews, acknowledging the deal improved on state minimums even as some residents preferred farmland to solar. The law faces a legal challenge from 79 townships and counties, now before the Michigan Supreme Court after an appellate court largely upheld it. Regulators are reviewing 12 similar applications statewide, making this settlement an early test of whether the contested permitting process can produce negotiated outcomes rather than contested rulings.