Updates About Governor

Governor Whitmer recently signed legislation allocating $152 million for infrastructure upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in preparation for a new mission. The signing ceremony took place at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, where Whitmer thanked both President Biden and President Trump as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for the effort.

The funding will be used for various upgrades, repairs, and construction projects such as runway improvements and new jet hangars. Whitmer and Brigadier General Daniel Kramer stressed the importance of the investment to both Macomb County and Michigan’s broader economy and military future.

The Michigan Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on DHHS recently released their budget recommendations for the department for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (FY 27). The proposal came in at $40.4 billion ($7.6 billion GF/GP), a gross increase from last year of $10.5 billion ($206.9 million GF/GP). The Senate came in $500 million under Gov. Whitmer’s proposal.

Notably, the Senate recommendation did not include new taxes proposed by the Governor on digital advertising, tobacco, vapes, and other nicotine products, or the changes to online gambling taxes, that would generate an estimated $800 million to assist in covering Medicaid costs. While the Senate did not include any identified Medicaid cost savings in its budget, Gov. Whitmer’s proposal included $150 million in savings and House Republicans called for $300 million. The Senate also proposed 485 new Full-Time Employees (FTEs) compared to the 589 new positions recommended by the Governor.

A brief overview of the Michigan House Republicans proposal can be found here.

The primary field for the Governor’s race in both parties is expected to be finalized after the Michigan Bureau of Elections (BOE) completes signature validation, with nine candidates having submitted the minimum required signatures for review. The candidates who filed for each party are listed below:

Democrats

• Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson
• Genesee County Sheriff, Chris Swanson
• Former Federal Auditor, Kim Thomas

Republicans

• U.S. Congressman, John James
• Businessman, Perry Johnson
• Former Attorney General, Mike Cox
• Senate Minority Leader, Aric Nesbitt
• Pastor, Ralph Rebrandt

Former Mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan, who is running as an independent, will forgo any primary election and instead have to turn his signatures in by July 16 in order to appear on the November general election ballot.