Each card sums up what the candidate said across every video we indexed. Each sentence links to the clip it comes from.
Health care
John JamesR
James proposes price tags for patients and transparency rules to hold insurers, hospitals, drug companies and PBMs accountable.
▶ 0:40▶ 46:00
James says Medicaid stays for people working 80 hours and caregivers, and he would seek hardship exemptions and target fraud.
▶ 38:40▶ 36:40
James proposes a prevention-first approach with cleaner food, less exposure to dyes, PFAS and pesticides, and more community mental health resources.
▶ 4:00▶ 2:40▶ 3:40
“I also believe very strongly in patients deserving price tags. That's increasing transparency to hold the insurance companies and the hospitals and and the the pharmaceutical companies and the PBMs accountable for their cartel-like behavior.”
Benson proposes a health care affordability board to examine price gouging and lower premium and prescription drug costs.
▶ 16:20▶ 7:20▶ 5:00
Benson proposes streamlining the health department so people keep benefits, using existing state data for eligibility and helping patients appeal insurance denials.
▶ 7:20▶ 38:00▶ 7:20
Benson proposes Medicaid-covered doula and midwifery services to address Black maternal health gaps, and wants Rx Kids for every child.
▶ 3:20▶ 0:40▶ 8:20
“creating a health care affordability board, which 12 other states have done that we have not done, that can examine price gouging”
James proposes Mississippi-style literacy policies focused on phonics and the science of reading, and says half of education dollars miss classrooms.
▶ 16:00
James says third-grade retention is on the table, with repeated testing and tutoring.
▶ 18:40
James proposes protecting parental rights, making the board of education report to the governor, and opting into a federal scholarship program.
▶ 1:20▶ 9:20▶ 18:40
“We need to focus on phonics. We need to focus on the science of of reading. We need to focus on literacy.”
Benson proposes a plan with a Michigan education guarantee, better teacher pay, a weighted funding formula and early childhood investment.
▶ 17:40▶ 0:00▶ 2:00
Benson says the state should stop raiding the school aid fund and distribute school money more transparently and equitably.
▶ 3:20
Benson says teachers, not politicians, should decide whether a third grader repeats a grade, and would expand current literacy investments.
▶ 19:20▶ 7:40
“It includes a Michigan education guarantee that will ensure our kids are college or career ready no matter what public school they graduate from.”
James backs a moratorium on new data centers until communities are protected, with local control and protection of water and electric bills.
▶ 36:40▶ 23:20
James wants no NDAs on data centers and siting on brownfields over farmland, and says Benson's running mate signed an NDA on Saline.
▶ 36:40▶ 23:20▶ 29:20
James says Fourth Amendment privacy rights are non-negotiable and, on Flock cameras, he would protect local control and constitutional rights.
▶ 41:20
“We absolutely cannot have an additional data center.”
“we must have local control. Our electricity bills can't go up. We need to protect our water, prevent pollution that includes air, land, water, and noise pollution.”
Benson proposes ending profit-driven utility rate hikes by reforming the Public Service Commission, modernizing the grid and investing in clean energy.
▶ 18:00▶ 16:40▶ 20:40
Benson says she is open to suspending the state gas tax and calls for a federal gas tax holiday.
▶ 12:20▶ 14:20
Benson argues James voted six times to support the Iran war that raised gas prices.
▶ 14:20▶ 12:20
“I think that Michigan Public Service Commission needs to be reformed to ensure that we have again clear guardrails uh around what rate rate hikes are acceptable”
“I've actually never voted to increase tariffs on Canada, despite what she says. And I've actually called out the administration, specifically talking with the trade ambassador”
Benson proposes calling Canada on day one to negotiate a subnational agreement that removes tariff costs in Michigan.
▶ 4:40▶ 6:40
Benson says tariffs cost each Michigan household $5,600 and that James voted in February 2023 to give Trump tariff power.
▶ 4:40▶ 6:40
Benson argues Trump's tariff wars have not improved Michigan's economy, costs or jobs.
▶ 13:00
“On day one in office, I will call Canada and negotiate a contract between Michigan and Canada to eliminate the tariffs and the costs in Michigan. This is called a subnational agreement.”
“When President Trump recently tried to uh you know, pressure me to turn over the private voting data of Michigan citizens, I said no and I'll see you in court and we won.”
James proposes rolling back regulations that make home building more difficult and expanding workforce development.
▶ 48:20
James says he has a bill to protect supply chains and is moving a path to affordable housing through the House.
▶ 48:20
“I have actually worked on a path to affordable housing. That is what we are doing. Moving that through the house and also rolling back harmful regulations that make it more difficult.”
Benson proposes streamlining home construction to increase supply and down payment support for first- and second-time buyers.
▶ 3:00▶ 46:40▶ 16:40
Benson proposes holding out-of-state developers and investors accountable for driving up rents, and ending tariffs on building supplies.
▶ 16:40▶ 46:40
“So, our housing plan does three things. One, it increases supply of affordable homes by streamlining how homes are built”
“That's why my plan for affordable housing has three pieces to it. Streamlining how homes are built, eliminating a lot of those construction uh obstructions that stand in the way.”
James says he would cooperate with federal law enforcement, prioritize violent offenders, and does not expect ICE presence to be needed in Michigan.
▶ 34:20
James argues criticism of ICE is about opposing Trump and says the state should follow the rule of law.
▶ 7:00
“frankly, I don't believe we're going to need ICE presence in the state of Michigan because we are going to be enforcing the law.”
Benson says she would follow what the law and Constitution require on ICE and oppose masked federal agents in communities.
▶ 32:00
Benson says agents must be allowed into schools when there is clear danger, but opposes enforcement that traumatizes children.
▶ 31:00
“It all gets down to what does the law say? what does the Constitution require and ensuring that we don't have masked federal agents coming to our communities”
James proposes holding judges, prosecutors and DAs who release violent offenders accountable, plus community policing and jobs for returning citizens.
▶ 33:00
James says the Minnesota loss of life could have been avoided by abiding by the law, and he would cooperate with federal law enforcement.
▶ 3:20▶ 4:00
James says he would not need to activate the National Guard because Michigan would cooperate with federal law.
▶ 5:40
“We're going to use we're going to use checks and balances to make sure that people who are making communities less safe are held accountable by the people.”
No answer on record about this in the 7 videos we indexed.
Climate and environment
John JamesR
James proposes moving away from Public Act 235, having utilities invest in resilience, and investing in underground infrastructure against floods.
▶ 49:40
James says Michigan must be resilient to severe weather in every season and argues preventing wildfires has the most impact on man-made climate causes.
▶ 2:40▶ 1:40
“We also need to make sure that we're investing in our underground infrastructure.”
Benson says the recent natural disasters are a direct result of climate change and that Michigan can lead on it.
▶ 50:20
Benson proposes growing clean energy and climate tech jobs with research universities.
▶ 50:20
“I think it's very clear that the natural disasters you mentioned are a directly result of climate change and Michigan has an opportunity to lead on that area.”
No answer on record about this in the 6 videos we indexed.
Jocelyn BensonD
Benson says gun violence must be reduced in schools, places of worship and communities, and law enforcement and partners need tools to do it.
▶ 8:20
“We need to protect our schools. We need to protect our communities against with gun violence, uh whether it's here in an education institution, at a place of worship, or in any community.”
No answer on record about this in the 7 videos we indexed.
Record and trust
John JamesR
James cites his record as a combat veteran, business leader and congressman, and says he works across the aisle.
▶ 54:40▶ 3:20▶ 2:40
James proposes disclosing his personal finances as governor the same way he does in Congress.
▶ 0:40
James says he holds disclosed mutual funds, denies supporting the data center measures, and argues Benson omitted her husband's income.
▶ 24:00▶ 26:00▶ 45:00
“I'm a combat veteran who understands what it takes to bring people together to accomplish tough and dangerous missions.”
“for a state where 40% of our budget comes from the federal resources in the first place, having someone who can deliver for people of the state of Michigan”
Benson cites her Secretary of State record, saying she cut wait times, transformed the agency and moved Michigan's election ranking from 31st to second.
▶ 2:20▶ 9:00▶ 27:20
Benson says her family has not benefited from data centers, and argues James was fined for not disclosing and took pharmaceutical PAC money.
▶ 14:40▶ 45:40▶ 26:40
Benson proposes voluntarily complying with FOIA as governor and expanding her office's FOIA portal statewide.
▶ 12:20
“As Secretary of State, I've done that while also expanding our democracy, taking our elections from being ranked 31st in the nation to number two”
“Well, Secretary of State, I've taken our second largest agency next to Health and Human Services and transformed it. It was once a poster child for inefficiency.”