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Debate Night in Michigan
Confirmed
In Short: In Leelanau County, candidates for two Michigan Legislature seats debated housing costs, Line 5, healthcare, and local control at the 2026 Cherry Pie Debates.
Democratic Senate candidate Abdul made a strong appearance at the FOX 2 debate in Detroit, where his opponent, Republican Mike Rogers, was notably absent.
Abdul's campaign communications director, Roxie Richner, emphasized the importance of showing up for voters, stating, 'We know that voters really care if you show up—and Abdul showed up.'
Richner further criticized Rogers for his absence, noting, 'Mike Rogers was fine to do 6 minutes on stage in Dallas at Trump’s request, but couldn’t bring himself to show up for 60 minutes in Detroit to speak with Michigan voters.'
Meanwhile, in Grand Rapids, the gubernatorial debate between Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James took place, with the candidates discussing key issues such as data centers, gas prices, and the Iran war.
WOOD-TV’s Rick Albin moderated the debate, which lasted an hour and was broadcast statewide at 7 p.m.
Alyssa Bradley, spokesperson for Benson’s campaign, highlighted the candidate’s priorities, emphasizing the importance of the debate in shaping voter perceptions.
The gubernatorial debate focused on issues including the economy, health care, immigration, and technology, providing voters with a final opportunity to compare the candidates before the November election.
The candidates had differing views on subsidized housing, with one candidate stating, 'If we’re going to do subsidized housing, I mean, essentially, this is a form of socialism,' while another argued, 'I don’t care what label you want to put on it. We have an obligation to one another as fellow human beings.'
What this adds
The debate in Grand Rapids was the first between Benson and James, setting the stage for further discussions on key issues.
What's confirmed
- Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James debated for the first time Tuesday night as they compete to be Michigan’s next governor.
- The candidates sparred over data centers, gas prices, the Iran war and more in the hour-long debate in Grand Rapids, which was hosted by WOOD-TV’s Rick Albin.
- Watch the full debate in the player below: Return to bridgemi.com for more coverage of the debate, including candidate fact checks.
What's still developing
- And when Mike Rogers was missing in action at last night’s debate, Abdul was there, taking hard questions and offering Michiganders his vision for a better, more affordable future.
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- “Right now it is extremely expensive to build an affordable home here in Michigan, which is why developers are incentivized to build multi-million-dollar homes,” Dean explained, adding that local approvals cost about $100,000 and take about a year and a half, and proposed allowing development “by right” when property is already zoned for housing.
- “If somebody visited from another planet and heard us talk about our housing crisis and drove through this town…and saw 75 of the homes being boarded up, they’d say, what’s wrong with these people,” Damoose said.
- Candidates for two Michigan Legislature seats offered competing views on housing costs, Line 5, healthcare, and local control Monday night at the 2026 Cherry Pie Debates.
- October 6, 2026 ~ Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido joins Kevin to preview the gubernatorial debate and discuss what voters can expect to hear from Republican candidate John James as he takes the stage tonight.
- “The Big Ten explained that the ball touched a player who was out of bounds before the clock reached 00:00, resulting in one additinoal play being awarded. The Big Ten subsequently provided video and audio of the replay, which confirmed the explanation provided to us,” The MAC’s initial statement said.
- Jon Steinbrecher initially released a statement Saturday night saying the conference had reached out to the Big Ten office seeking clarification regarding the review at the end of the game that saw one second added back to the game clock, ultimately leading to the Wolverines’ 47-yard Hail Mary.
- WMU President Russ Kavalhuna released a statement in response to the MAC’s decision to appeal, saying in part, “being bitter doesn’t make you better and this should not be mistaken for weakness or agreement.” Official statement regarding the Western Michigan-Michigan football game.