Data Center Record.

Michigan Governor 2026: where the candidates stand on data centers

5 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot, from the Michigan Department of State's list. The officeholder comes first, then the Republican and Democratic nominees together by last name, then everyone else by last name; in each group a candidate with a statement or vote on the record comes first (how the order works). Each has the same space. The list: Michigan Department of State, Official Candidate Listing, Candidate Listing Report, All State and Judicial Offices, General Election, Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (721 Candidates as of Fri Sep 04 08:48:42 EDT (the page's own footer; the year is not printed there, the election is November 3, 2026)).

Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections

More on Michigan: the state page · its laws and bills on data centers · its leaders

The candidates

  1. Jocelyn Benson, Democratic candidate for Governor, Michigan

    Jocelyn Benson

    Democratic

    Of 15 statements on the record, 4 raised concerns about data centers and 11 carry no label.

    What they said

    0 4 0

    What they did

    No vote on a data center measure on the record.

    15 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Photo: Joshua Qualls (Massachusetts Governor's Press Office), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

    Jocelyn Benson's page · In their own words

  2. John James, Republican candidate for Governor, Michigan

    John James

    Republican

    Of 14 statements on the record, 4 raised concerns about data centers, 1 was mixed and 9 carry no label.

    What they said

    0 4 1

    What they did

    0 votes in favor of data centers 1 vote against

    14 statements · 1 vote on the record

    Photo: official portrait, public domain, source.

    John James's page · In their own words

  3. Donna Brandenburg

    U.S. Taxpayers Party

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 20, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Donna Brandenburg's page · In their own words

  4. Douglas Campbell

    Green Party

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 20, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Douglas Campbell's page · In their own words

  5. Anthony Hudson

    Libertarian Party

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 20, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Anthony Hudson's page · In their own words

Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.

In their own words

Where does Jocelyn Benson stand on data centers?

Of 15 statements on the record, 4 raised concerns about data centers and 11 carry no label.

Statements 15 statements

  1. · quoted

    supports a moratorium on new data-center development until safeguards are in place to protect water resources, limit electricity-cost increases for residents and give local communities a voice

    WDIV gubernatorial debate · Hoodline · Full quote, context and sources

  2. · paraphrased

    Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson advanced a statewide moratorium on data centers while lawmakers figure out better policy protections

    WEMU-FM · Full quote, context and sources

  3. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson stated she will protect citizens and local communities from data centers and put guardrails in place to protect water from use and abuse and ensure data centers cover the cost of the energy they use

    CBS News · Full quote, context and sources

  4. · paraphrased

    Benson said James had voted four times to block the ability of local communities to have a voice or a say in whether data centers can come to those communities

    Yahoo · Full quote, context and sources

  5. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson called for a moratorium on any new data center developments until real guardrails are in place to protect local control, protect water, require data centers to shoulder the burden of energy usage, and invest in community benefits agreements

    Yahoo · Full quote, context and sources

  6. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson's husband, Ryan Friedrichs, earned $370,000 in 2025 as an employee of Related Companies, which is developing the Saline Township data center.

    The Oakland Press · Full quote, context and sources

  7. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson, Democratic Secretary of State, emphasized importance of local control, as well as establishing guardrails to address concerns about privacy and environmental harms of data centers and artificial intelligence

    Michigan Advance · Full quote, context and sources

  8. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic candidate for governor, stated at the Detroit Economic Club on September 16, 2026 that data centers cannot be sited at the expense of privacy, rights, and environment, and pledged to create an online portal for residents to track data center projects.

    Michigan Public · Full quote, context and sources

  9. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor and the most likely politician to replace her next year, now supports a moratorium on the construction of new data centers in Michigan

    Political Currents by Ross Barkan · Full quote, context and sources

  10. · paraphrased

    Benson pledged to halt all data center construction until rules require companies to negotiate with local communities, prevent use of tax breaks and water supplies, require union labor, and stop raising electricity bills.

    The Michigan Independent · Full quote, context and sources

  11. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson posted video on September 8 calling for statewide data center moratorium.

    The Michigan Independent · Full quote, context and sources

  12. · paraphrased

    Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson called for moratorium on data centers, saying no data centers will be built in Michigan unless rules require negotiation with communities, ban them from tax breaks and water use, and require payment for power

    Detroit Free Press · also reported by 1 more · Full quote, context and sources

  13. · paraphrased

    Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee, discussed her thoughts on data center development

    CBS News · Full quote, context and sources

  14. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    Democratic candidate for governor Jocelyn Benson has called for a moratorium and claims to be the only candidate who will hold data centers accountable.

    The Detroit News · Full quote, context and sources

  15. · paraphrased

    Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson demanded transparency and public input for data center projects

    planetdetroit.org · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does John James stand on data centers?

Of 14 statements on the record, 4 raised concerns about data centers, 1 was mixed and 9 carry no label.

Statements 14 statements

  1. · quoted

    This will be led by the locals and not by Lansing

    WDIV gubernatorial debate · Hoodline · Full quote, context and sources

  2. · paraphrased

    Republican candidate John James said he would support communities' choices to welcome or block a data center without state government involvement

    WEMU-FM · Full quote, context and sources

  3. · paraphrased

    John James stated that when he says no new data centers until there's a plan to protect communities, it must be local control to protect water, prevent pollution, prevent electricity bills from going up, and prioritize blighted and brown fields over productive green farmland

    CBS News · Full quote, context and sources

  4. · paraphrased

    John James said he supports local control on data centers and that his moratorium is local led not Lansing led

    Yahoo · Full quote, context and sources

  5. · paraphrased

    John James, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Michigan, voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which included tax write offs for infrastructure and equipment investments that data center companies are eligible to claim, totaling approximately $69.78 billion in tax breaks to Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle in 2025.

    Bridge Michigan · Full quote, context and sources

  6. · paraphrased

    John James said he supports a moratorium on new data centers until additional regulations are established and stated his moratorium would require re establishing local control, ensuring no utility rate increases, and protecting water, air, land and noise from pollution.

    Bridge Michigan · Full quote, context and sources

  7. · paraphrased

    John James received more than $100,000 in political contributions from donors with data center ties, including members of the Rakolta family who founded Walbridge, the construction company contracted to build the hyperscale data center in Saline.

    Bridge Michigan · Full quote, context and sources

  8. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    John James said his moratorium is event based, not time based, during a virtual press conference after the Detroit Economic Club event

    The Detroit News · Full quote, context and sources

  9. · paraphrased

    John James, Republican U.S. Rep., said both he and Benson emphasized importance of local control and guardrails to address concerns about privacy and environmental harms of data centers and artificial intelligence

    Michigan Advance · Full quote, context and sources

  10. · paraphrased

    Congressman John James stated at the Detroit Economic Club on September 16, 2026 via Zoom that he supports local control over data center decisions, opposes state level bans and mandates, and suggested AI companies proceed carefully regarding surveillance.

    Michigan Public · Full quote, context and sources

  11. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    John James, a congressman and Republican, supports a moratorium on the construction of new data centers in Michigan

    Political Currents by Ross Barkan · Full quote, context and sources

  12. · paraphrased

    Rep. James at July primary debate said he would ensure no data centers until a plan to protect people is in place.

    The Michigan Independent · Full quote, context and sources

  13. · paraphrased

    U.S. Rep. John James, Republican gubernatorial nominee, called for moratorium on new data centers until plan to protect people is in place, including environmental protections and ensuring electricity bills do not go up

    Detroit Free Press · Full quote, context and sources

  14. · paraphrased

    U.S. Rep. John James opposes state tax incentives for data centers and supports local zoning control

    planetdetroit.org · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 1 vote

1 vote on data center measures: 0 in favor of data centers, 1 against.

  1. Voted yes on a measure that limited data centers: H.R. 9340, U.S. House of Representatives, September 16, 2026 · against

Where does Donna Brandenburg stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Donna Brandenburg.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Donna Brandenburg.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Douglas Campbell stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Douglas Campbell.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Douglas Campbell.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Anthony Hudson stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Anthony Hudson.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Anthony Hudson.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Candidates and their order come from the Michigan Department of State's list, verified October 9, 2026. Every candidate, by state · How the record reads leaders.

Are you a candidate in this race or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.

Every race in Michigan, and where each candidate stands

Bill data from LegiScan, licensed CC BY 4.0. The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill.

Election Day is November 3

Make sure you can vote

You can vote if you are a US citizen, will be 18 by Election Day, and meet your state's rules. Some states' registration deadlines have already passed, and some let you register at the polls. Check yours today.

Both links go to official, nonpartisan sites. The record never tells anyone how to vote.

Check your registration, ballot and polling place Register or check at vote.gov

Researcher view · basis and source tier on every row · docket and Census GEOIDs · citation and export tools

Commercial and bulk data