John James pitches an income tax cut and local say on data centers in his final debate with Jocelyn Benson

LANSING, Mich. — Republican U.S. Rep. John James closed out his second and final debate with Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Thursday by pitching a cut in Michigan’s personal income tax and arguing that Democrats who have run Lansing for eight years have little to show for it.

“I have a plan to cut your personal income taxes into the threes to put us on par with states like Indiana and Ohio to start in year one,” James said during the hourlong debate at WDIV-TV’s studios in Detroit, according to the station’s account. Michigan’s flat personal income tax rate is 4.25%.

Benson said she would order “a wholesale review of how we’re bringing revenue into this state so that it is fair, so that is equitable, and so that enables us to pass tax breaks,” WDIV reported.

Who is on the ballot. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited. The state’s official candidate listing for the Nov. 3 general election shows five tickets for governor and lieutenant governor: Benson and state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks for the Democrats; James and state Rep. Jay DeBoyer for the Republicans; Anthony Hudson and Beau Parmenter for the Libertarian Party; Donna Brandenburg and Robert Donald Cowper II for the U.S. Taxpayers Party; and Douglas Campbell and Bobbie Clay for the Green Party. Only Benson and James took part in the debates.

Lansing’s record. James built much of his case around the state’s direction under Democratic leadership. “Michigan has been on fire and she’s been in Lansing for eight years holding the can,” he said, according to WXYZ-TV. “Maybe we should try something different.” On schools, he said, “Michigan is 44th in fourth grade literacy, 45th overall. My opponent wants to keep the status quo.”

Benson, who described herself as a former teacher, answered that voters should “put a teacher, a former teacher as I am, in the governor’s office.” In an interview with WDIV after the debate, she said Democrats in Lansing “haven’t done enough” on public schools and on making state agencies “transparent and accountable and actually delivering results.”

Energy and data centers. James tied high utility bills to state regulation. “There’s no reason Indiana and Ohio should have double-digit lower energy rates than us,” he said, and he called for rolling back regulations to bring costs down. On data centers, he said local residents should decide: “If you want a data center, fine. If you don’t want a data center, fine. It should be up to you and not the powerful people in Lansing.” In the first debate on Oct. 6, he described his position as “a moratorium on Lansing and not the people,” Michigan Public reported.

Benson said the state needs “guardrails in place to protect local voices” and that data center companies should cover their own energy demands and follow community benefit agreements, WXYZ reported. In the first debate, she said she supports a statewide moratorium while more protections are considered.

The data center question also turned personal. Benson accused James of buying stock in data center companies while in Congress and then supporting tax breaks for the industry. James answered that Benson and her husband had “bulldozed the will of the people of Saline” on a data center project there, and that “she’s gonna come up with a moratorium after they’ve already made out with $370,000,” according to WDIV. Both claims were made by the candidates on stage; The Mitten Daily has not independently verified either.

Health care and Trump. Benson said James “went to Washington to raise your healthcare costs” and that she has a plan to lower them. James pointed to his work on the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, which he said would increase price transparency and bring costs down. Benson also repeatedly tied James to President Donald Trump. Asked by WDIV after the debate whether he would stand up to the president, James said, “The president is gone in two years. The next governor of Michigan likely has eight.”

When moderator Jason Colthorp asked each candidate to name a policy of the other’s they agreed with, neither named one, the station reported.

Monday, Oct. 19, was the last day to register to vote online or by mail. After that, residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026: The Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, so the voting details now say so. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Sources:
Michigan Bureau of Elections, Official Candidate Listing, Nov. 3, 2026 General Election (governor and lieutenant governor tickets), https://mi-boe.entellitrak.com/etk-mi-boe-prod/page.request.do?electionType=GEN&electionYear=2026&page=page.miboePublicReport
WDIV-TV ClickOnDetroit, “Benson, James clash over health care, Trump, Lansing record in final Michigan governor debate,” Oct. 15, 2026 (tax, schools, data center, health care and post-debate quotes; 4.25% rate), https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/16/benson-and-james-clash-over-health-care-trump-and-lansing-record-in-final-michigan-governor-debate/
WDIV-TV ClickOnDetroit, “Watch the full 2026 Michigan gubernatorial debate hosted by WDIV here,” Oct. 15, 2026 (time, place, moderator), https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/15/watch-live-john-james-jocelyn-benson-face-off-in-gubernatorial-debate-hosted-by-wdiv/
WXYZ-TV, “Benson, James spar over data centers, cost of living in second Michigan governor debate,” Oct. 16, 2026 (Lansing record, energy and data center quotes), https://www.wxyz.com/news/politics/benson-james-spar-over-data-centers-cost-of-living-in-second-michigan-governor-debate
Michigan Public, “Michigan held four debates this week. Here’s what they showed,” Oct. 9, 2026 (first debate, Oct. 6; moratorium positions), https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-09/michigan-governor-us-senate-debate-election-2026
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Photo: w_lemay, “George W. Romney Building (Hotel Olds), Capitol Avenue and Michigan Avenue, Lansing, MI - 54383126876.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), cropped; derivative under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_W._Romney_Building_(Hotel_Olds),_Capitol_Avenue_and_Michigan_Avenue,_Lansing,_MI_-_54383126876.jpg

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