U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township were among the most effective lawmakers in terms of sponsored legislation in a specific policy area, the Center for Effective Lawmaking said in a new report. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

A political action committee that works to elected pro-Israel Democratic candidates up and down the ballot has thrown its weight behind U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

William Null of Shelbyville is the latest candidate to signal their interest in seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2026, despite his history of being implicated in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

As plans and announcements for new AI data centers proliferate across Michigan, a Howell Township trustee is telling people that the parent company for Facebook and Instagram is behind another project planned on more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

the new info was Donald Trump's updated approval ratings

Abdul El-Sayed is leading Michigan Democrats in pushing to label the war on Gaza a genocide, urging the party to match its values with action, a stance long held by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

There have been a lot of disgusting and surreal moments in the Oval Office over the last 10 months that disgrace the United States, but Trump publicly dismissing the brutal assassination of a Washington Post journalist as insignificant and blowing smoke up the ass of a despotic butcher is up there

Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate on the Democratic Party side of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, gained a powerful ally in former Congressman Andy Levin, a stalwart labor union supporter. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

The legislative earmark reforms championed by Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) during the fraught 2025-26 budget process became law on Tuesday after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the House and Senate’s respective bills into law. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Majorie Taylor Greene: "The real test will be, will the Department of Justice release the files?"

Defend The Vote on Tuesday endorsed Matt Maasdam and state Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), who are seeking the party’s nominations in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and 4th Congressional District races, respectively. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

The dependence by local governments to fund local trial courts, putting pressure on judges to generate revenue for court operations, could be a thing of the past if the Legislature acts on a new funding model proposed by the state’s judiciary. By @bensolis1.bsky.social

Wise words from our fearless leader and Advance EIC @jonkingnews.bsky.social.

Ryan Friedrichs, a vice president for the company pushing the controversial data center project in Saline Township, and the husband of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, would recuse himself from any projects before the state if Benson is elected governor in 2026. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

The fight against election disinformation and changes to Michigan’s petition circulation process cleared the upper chamber of the state Legislature on Thursday. Senators moved the legislative package with bipartisan support. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

Union battles at Detroit Medical Center may shadow Duggan’s 2026 bid for Michigan governor michiganadvance.com/2025/11/13/u... Another banger from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has positioned himself as a friend of labor as he runs for governor in 2026, but his past dealings with unions when he headed up the Detroit Medical Center shows he had fraught relationships with workers attempting to organize and seek equal pay From @bensolis1.bsky.social

Bernadette Smith, who resigned recently from her post of Michigan Republican Party co-chair, has officially filed paperwork to form a campaign committee in a bid to take on former congressman Mike Rogers in a Republican U.S. Senate primary. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

A GOP staffer tied to a Republican consulting firm has resigned, following @bensolis1.bsky.social's reporting on Victory Field Operations' work with U.S. Rep. John James' gubernatorial campaign as one of its founders worked for Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt. michiganadvance.com/2025/11/11/s...

Michigan Advance’s Senior Reporter @bensolis1.bsky.social got the ball rolling on bringing to light this arrangement that wasn’t just unethical, but also broke legislative rules. Ironically, those two things aren’t always the same.

Ryan Friedrichs, vice president of Related Companies and husband of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, is a vice president in the company that is now pushing the development of a 1-gigawatt Oracle and OpenAI data center in a rural township. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

The move comes after Michigan Advance reported that Victory Field Operations was doing consulting work for the gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Rep. John James while one of its founders worked as press secretary for Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt. From Ben Solis

The move followed a Michigan Advance report that Jeff Wiggins, from Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt’s office, was doing political consulting for U.S. Rep. John James. Both Nesbitt and James are Republican candidates for governor. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers brought election denialism in Michigan to new heights last month when he claimed, without evidence, that a van showed up carrying ballots at a Detroit counting location to swing the election against him. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Bernadette Smith, co-chair of the MIGOP, resigned from her post, and with that has come rumors that she is gearing up to run for Michigan’s soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat, setting up a primary challenge with former Congressman Mike Rogers. Exclusive from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Attorney General Dana Nessel’s ability to go after a major producer of insulin for price gouging was before the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday, with the state saying that it should be allowed to move forward despite previous court precedent noting otherwise. By @bensolis1.bsky.social

Mary Sheffield’s 12-year Detroit City Council career reached a new plateau on Tuesday after the city elected her as the first woman mayor in the city’s history. “[In me] you have a leader who brought experience, who has a record of delivering for this city” Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

As Mary Sheffield made history Tuesday night, becoming Detroit’s first woman elected mayor, two sitting state representatives from the Motor City failed in their bids for city council seats amid a wave of progressive victories. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

Updated with notes from Sheffield's speech, what she told reporters before speaking to supporters, and commentary from Democratic state Sens Sylvia Santana and Mallory McMorrow, who spoke to Michigan Advance at the campaign's victory party. @michiganadvance.com michiganadvance.com/2025/11/04/m...

Mary Sheffield, president of the Detroit City Council president, will be moving into the mayor’s office next year. Unofficial election results show that Sheffield won in Tuesday’s contest against fellow Democrat and pastor Solomon Kinloch. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, two of the three Democratic candidates for Michigan’s secretary of state, had an opportunity to discuss various issues related to voting and elections during a forum held last week. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

Three individuals who have gone through the process of “detransitioning” testified before a GOP-led state House subcommittee Tuesday, setting up bills introduced by Republican lawmakers to prohibit treatment for Michigan youth struggling with their gender identities. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

Michigan U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain violated a law aimed at preventing conflicts of interest for the second time this year by being late to report financial stock trades made by her husband. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Donald Trump is weaponizing the Department of Justice against his political opponents. This is just the latest example. Everyone who cares about democracy and the rule of law needs to speak out loudly and clearly that this is wrong. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Nice exclusive here from our Senior Reporter @bensolis1.bsky.social Can a staffer of a gubernatorial candidate work for that candidate’s opponent and remain neutral? Where is the ethical line?

The Michigan Senate’s top GOP lawmaker is running for governor, but one of his key staffers, who moonlights as a political consultant, is working for his biggest rival in the race, a situation described as “unethical” by one major Lansing political operative. Exclusive from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Soon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL7o...

We had a work costume party. The office was Kiss, and I was Peter Criss, the Catman. I may or may not have been doing important interviews in this makeup today. Happy early Halloween!

Regulatory hurdles and education policy were among the topics discussed at Wednesday night’s GOP gubernatorial debate held in Sparta, but hanging over it all was the question: Where was U.S. Rep. John James? Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

While the GOP gubernatorial candidates go in on taxes, retaining population and regulatory reform, a few jabs were thrown at John James for not showing up to Wednesday's debate. And this is sitting on Aric Nesbitt's supporters table. @michiganadvance.com #MichiganPolitics

Four marijuana-related bills were up for consideration before a House panel on Thursday, with one aiming to upend rules on the legal amount of regulated marijuana a person is allowed to possess, both in plant and concentrate form. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

“As a condition of the plea agreement, Minard has agreed to provide truthful testimony in future hearings,” the attorney general’s office said. “Minard is additionally required to pay full restitution for amounts owed to the Michigan Department of Treasury.” Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Michigan is more receptive for labor organizing and collective bargaining following the repeal of Right to Work laws, and previous failures to retain unions in the private sector, according to a new report from Wayne State University’s Labor Workshop. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the GOP-led House of Representatives had a clear duty to present nine bills passed during last year’s lame duck session for Gov. Whitmer’s signature. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist has landed his first major gubernatorial endorsement from a sitting member of Congress: Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit. Tlaib announced her support for Gilchrist in a video published Tuesday morning. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

The consequences of letting important Affordable Care Act tax credits expire on Jan. 1, 2026, will be dire for those seeking access to vital federal marketplace insurance plans and health care, advocates told a Michigan Senate panel on Wednesday. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service told Michigan officials to pause payment of November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as SNAP, due to disruptions caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

A firm trial date has finally been set for Lee Chatfield and his wife, Stephanie Chatfield, who are facing charges of running a criminal enterprise and embezzling large sums of money from the former Michigan House speaker’s non-profit campaign and organizing funds. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

A bit of news analysis today from yours truly in @michiganadvance.com. A real "whodunnit?" over the new Michigan marijuana tax.

From the producers who brought you Matt Hall's HEAT reboot. This fall: Ghostbusters (6?). Also, no one tell Dan Aykroyd about this, he's very litigous with the brand.