The race to replace Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is in full swing.
We are already halfway through February, which means spring and the month of March are just around the corner. Up here in the semi-great white north, we get excited about simple things like this.
Of course, what that means is that the calendar is ticking away, and we shall soon be into the summer and ticking towards the August primary, where the Michigan GOP and Democratic Party will decide who will lead them into the general election in November of 2026.
How thrilling this all is.
Actually, this year will be more exciting than most I have observed in the past, and I shall explain why in a moment.
Things are formally starting to heat up in the race to replace Whitmer. Below, I do a brief analysis of who is where, and maybe what we can expect.
The Detroit News has some of the details about who has raised what.
Democrat Jocelyn Benson raised the most money of the candidates running to be Michigan's next governor over the final two months of 2025, while Republican Mike Cox had the most cash still available to spend, according to disclosures that were due Monday.
The new reports detailed fundraising from Oct. 21 through Dec. 31 and showed an evolving race for Michigan's top political office, with some candidates building financial stockpiles, a sign of strength, and others now spending more money than they're bringing in, a potential signal of weakness.
Like her one opponent in the Democratic primary...
Benson's lone primary opponent, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson of Fenton, raised $87,412 and spent $202,227 — double what he brought in — during the reporting period.
I know people who are big supporters of the Sheriff, and they are still gung-ho for him, but the road to victory does seem a bit steep for him.
On the Republican side, they seem to have a bit of a challenge all around.
For political observers and writers such as moi, this is exactly what we're looking for to keep from falling asleep during the winter months. We love candidates discussing the issues of the day and seeing who most lines up with not only what we're thinking but what will be the best thing for the state.
Hopefully.
Former Attorney General Mike Cox raised close to $4.1 million, thus having the largest war chest to date. However, $3.5 million of that was a loan he put into the campaign to prepare for the battle ahead.
One of the SEVEN gop contenders left (Anthony Hudson dropped his GOP mantle days ago) includes current Congressman John James (MI-10), who is not running for reelection, instead dedicating himself to becoming governor of the state.
U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township reported raising the most among the Republican contenders in the new disclosures: $838,505. The James campaign spent $661,297 and had $2.4 million on hand to start 2026.
Also running is a former State Senator, Aric Nesbitt, and a former State Representative and Speaker of the House, Tom Leonard.
Also, pastor Ralph Rebandt and a conservative person in the know, Karla Wagner. Plus, for the second time, millionaire Perry Johnson has decided to dive in and try to win the GOP nomination.
That is a lot of peeps on the GOP side for sure, and should (fingers crossed) wake up people who happen to be a bit more conservative and motivate them to vote.
The part that has me intrigued or confused, though, is the fella running for the independent vote, former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Duggan has a somewhat positive track record as the former chief executive of Michigan's largest city, and even though the latest polls have Benson leading James by 3 points, Duggan is pulling close to 20 percent of the vote.
Former Detroit News columnist and someone I have quoted here many times before, Charlie LeDuff, of course, has a different opinion on the former mayor, and it is funny and also intriguing.
More polling will need to be done to try to figure out if Duggan will hurt his natural Democratic colleague, Jocelyn Benson, or will draw away from whoever wins the GOP nomination. I know this is already well-known to the usual readers at RedState, but Michigan is not a red state.
Michigan is in for one helluva ride coming up to November, and I'm here for all of it.
Unless it gets boring...Then I might find a Trump speech to amuse me until after November.
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