PODCAST:
July 9, 2026 ~ Andrea Bitely, founder and principal of Bitely Communications, joins Kevin Dietz to break down the key moments from the first Republican gubernatorial debate and preview what voters can expect when the candidates meet again tonight.
July 9, 2026 ~ Former Attorney General Mike Cox joined Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson. Cox discussed the GOP gubernatorial debate, focusing on education reform and economic issues. He emphasized his track record as a statewide winner.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. ~ U.S. Rep. John James, businessman Perry Johnson, and former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox all took the stage Wednesday night in the first GOP gubernatorial debate, exchanging attacks in a preview to Thursday night’s second debate.
The July 8 debate on Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV), which was moderated by Roop Raj, featured many talking points, including tax cuts, data centers, and Trump’s influence. All three men shared their goal of eliminating the state income tax, and took a wary stance on data centers. James, who took heavy criticism for a majority of the night, and Johnson both pushed to slow down the manufacturing of new centers in the state, while Cox expressed that the local communities should be making the decisions. None of the candidates steered from Trump as the president of the United States has expressed support for James.
The one-hour long second debate will start at 7 p.m. at WOOD TV8 Thursday night. Streaming is available on WOOD TV+ and woodtv.com.
Tuesday, Aug. 4 marks the Michigan primary election which will set the stage for the winner of the Republican primary to face the winner of the Democratic primary. Jocelyn Benson is the frontrunner for the Democrats, while James has shown strong polling numbers on the Republican side.
