State revenue in Michigan outpaced projections last month.

Reports from the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency and Senate Fiscal Agency both show the state brought in around $3.1 billion in July. That translates to a nearly 7% jump in monthly revenue over July last year.

Consumption taxes, including sales, use, and so-called “sin taxes” on things like alcohol and tobacco, made up the largest chunk of revenue last month. That’s despite revenue in nearly each of those areas falling compared to this point in the last fiscal year.

Strong use tax and online gaming numbers combined with fewer dollars being issued in income tax refunds helped keep overall revenue numbers higher.

As far as business taxes go, the state has issued fewer refunds under the legacy Michigan Business Tax than it expected so far. That number could still fluctuate as refunds get claimed. Meanwhile, Corporate Income Tax Revenue fell slightly short of projections.

In all, the state’s general fund beat year-to-date revenue predictions by between $455 million and $459 million, according to the Senate and House estimates. The School Aid Fund received about $195 million to $220 million above projections.

In the bigger picture, the new revenue figures only landed a small percentage over the expected value. But at a time when Michigan will likely face tough budget years ahead, every little bit could help.

Some Michigan Democrats came out in support of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers Thursday.

Rogers is working to siphon off party members who voted against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed during this month’s primary election. The close race saw Democrats split between El-Sayed’s endorsement of progressive policies and Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ (D-MI 11) more moderate views.

Rogers said he's only asking Democrats for the chance to earn their trust.

“Michigan deserves a senator who will sit down, whether you voted for me or not, who will listen to you, will treat you with respect, who will represent everybody,” he said during an event in Detroit Thursday.

As far as policies in his platform geared toward Democrats, Rogers said he’d be focused on improving children’s literacy, making homes more affordable, and helping people boost their credit scores.

Democrats who spoke included Huntington Woods Rabbi Asher Lopatin, state Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit), and a self-described Obama, Clinton, and Biden voter. Their reasons for being unsatisfied with El-Sayed varied.

Lopatin felt El-Sayed and some other Democrats have been complicit in antisemitism.

“The fact that they have not spoken out against that is very disappointing,” he said before speaking well of Rogers’ character.

El-Sayed has, in fact, spoken out against antisemitism, and he told NBC News earlier this month, "I love and revere Judaism and the Jewish people,” drawing a line between faith and culture, and the Israeli government.

The pro-Israel lobby has spent tens of millions of dollars against El-Sayed this campaign season.

Whitsett, who has most recently been a reliable vote for House Republicans when she comes to Lansing, didn’t directly criticize El-Sayed. Rather, she claimed Medicare for All, a hallmark of El-Sayed’s platform, would over-involve government in healthcare.

“The government will be controlling your healthcare. They will control your doctors, they will control your medication, they will control your visits, they will control everything,” Whitsett said.

No mainstream candidate is advocating for complete government control of healthcare.

The El-Sayed campaign responded to Rogers Thursday by tying him to President Donald Trump’s policies.

“Mike Rogers will put Donald Trump ahead of Michigan every single time. Just like he carried water for Trump’s dangerous election lies, he’ll rubber-stamp Trump’s reckless agenda — driving up gas prices and sending your tax dollars to fight foreign wars," El-Sayed campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak said in an emailed statement.

"Abdul's the only candidate with a coalition that can win this November and will get right to work in the US Senate getting money out of politics and putting money in your pockets,” the statement continued.

Both candidates’ chances of winning in November hinge on how well either camp can attract independent voters to their team while keeping their base intact.

Supporters and local elected officials packed a brewpub in the Grand Rapids East Hills neighborhood Wednesday to hear Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocleyn Benson announce her running mate choice.

Benson picked state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) to serve as her lieutenant governor.

Brinks has spent the past 13 years representing the Grand Rapids area in the state Legislature. Running alongside Benson, a southeast Michigan resident who has not been a lawmaker, Brinks will bring both West Michigan and legislative viewpoints to the ticket.

“I think it’s really a strength to have so many strong relationships with legislators already and I think that will help us move our agenda, it will help us find common ground, and it will also help us work out differences,” Brinks told reporters.

Benson, a two-term Secretary of State herself, said she and Brinks are both dedicated to making government function at its best.

“Saving time, saving money, streamlining how things operate, so that it’s less expensive to build affordable homes so that it’s easier to get access to the healthcare benefits you’re entitled to. We share that commitment to ensuring the administration of government is run well and effectively and efficiently,” Benson told reporters.

The choice comes as many political observers see Democrats as at a political crossroads.

Benson had a relatively easy path to the party’s nomination. But the Democratic U.S. Senate race saw a tough primary battle between moderate Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI 11) and the winner, former public health official Abdul El-Sayed, who espoused more progressive ideals. Grand Rapids turned out for El-Sayed.

Benson, who locked in many progressive endorsements early in her campaign, said she and Brinks are ready to meet the moment.

“Our agenda is a bold one and I think what voters are responding to, to wanting leaders who can take a broken system, fix it, do bold things and get things done. That’s what we’ve done in Lansing. That’s what the women in Michigan have over these last nearly eight years have done together. That’s what I’ve been proud to do as Secretary of State, and I’ll be proud to do it as governor,” Benson said.

They’ll be taking on Republican nominee Congressman John James (R-MI 10) and his runningmate, state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp).

Republicans quickly criticized the selection of Brinks, and her record.

“Winnie Brinks oversaw the most left-wing, out-of-touch budget we've ever seen in Michigan. Her $9 billion in one-time-funding included $200 million to fix the roads, with zero to show for it. Winnie Brinks championed Green-New-Deal scam legislation, pet projects with no names attached, and the elimination of Right to Work protections. Like Abdul El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson, Winnie Brinks is too extreme for Michigan,” Michigan GOP Chair Jim Runestad said in an emailed statement.

Neither party’s lieutenant governor pick will become completely official until planned conventions of the state Republican and Democratic parties. Those are scheduled over the next two weekends.

Democratic Michigan Attorney General candidate Eli Savit discussed his plan to fight gun violence during a roundtable talk in Detroit Friday.

Savit is the current Washtenaw County prosecutor. He said Michigan has made progress by passing safe gun storage and red flag laws to temporarily remove guns from people considered a threat to themselves or others.

But Savit said those laws work best when public awareness around them is strong.

“We’ve had folks going out into community, doing trainings at schools and for medical professionals and social workers about our new laws, about the intersection between gun violence and intimate partner violence, and that’s something that I’d like to continue doing on a statewide level as attorney general,” he told reporters.

Michigan issued over 400 extreme risk protection orders last year, according to state data.

Aside from red flag, background check, and safe storage laws, discussion participants gave praise to community violence interruption programs.

“We need to continue funding this work. It needs to be sustained funding because, over time, if you do CVI work for 10, 15 years, that’s when you see real change. Because now you’re seeing the kids that didn’t experience the trauma of witnessing gun violence,” Savit said.

Meanwhile, advocates also pushed for a crackdown on gun modifiers and so-called “ghost guns.”

Ghost guns can be 3D printed or made at home through a kit. They don’t have serial numbers, making them very hard to track.

State lawmakers have so far failed to ban those and the types of modifications that can let ordinary guns rapid fire. That’s despite bills to do so passing at least one legislative chamber during the current and past term.

Savit said he’ll take up the issue again if he’s elected in November.

“Ghost guns being untraceable makes it harder for law enforcement to solve crimes. Bump stocks and switches on guns that convert them into fully automatic weapons makes a shooting even more likely to be deadly. These are commonsense laws I think that we can pass here in Michigan,” Savit said.

Savit is running for Michigan Attorney General against Republican Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd.

Republicans have sought to paint Savit as soft on crime. Savit said he’s prosecuted many gun crimes during his time in office.

John James, the Republican candidate for Michigan governor announced his running mate pick.

James named state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp) as his choice for lieutenant governor Thursday.

“Jay embodies the West Point Honor Code principles I expect in my administration: restoring integrity, competence, and trust in state government,” said James, a second-term Congressman representing Michigan's 10th District, in a tweet announcing the decision.

DeBoyer chairs the Michigan House Oversight Committee and previously served as St. Clair County clerk.

Republican strategist Kristin Combs said it’s a smart pick since DeBoyer has experience with both legislating and elections.

“As a former clerk, he can talk to that. I think chairing the Oversight Committee, he’s gotten a really good glimpse into the administration and maybe some things we’re looking – Republicans are looking – to improve on,” Combs said.

Some of the House Oversight Committee's more notable moments this term have come from DeBoyer and other Republican members grilling various state department leaders, like Michigan State Police Lt. Col. James Grady, state health department director Elizabeth Hertel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is the Democratic nominee for governor.

Michigan Republican Party members will still need to approve the pick at an August 22 convention, before DeBoyer officially becomes the lieutenant governor nominee.

If it holds, it will be the first time in decades that Republicans haven’t nominated a woman for at least one major statewide office. DeBoyer also represents an area that nearly abuts James’ metro-Detroit congressional district, potentially leading to concerns about attracting voters from other parts of the state.

But Combs said that’s all irrelevant.

“Identity politics doesn’t really matter. What you’re looking for is who’s going to help you accomplish your agenda. Who’s going to get the things done that you’re trying to get done if you’re John James and you’re running to be governor,” Combs said.

While Republicans are welcoming the choice, Democrats are already criticizing DeBoyer as being in lockstep with President Donald Trump and his policies.

DeBoyer has butted heads with some Democrats, like state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing), who accused DeBoyer of not working collaboratively to solve problems with government.

“He likes to attack Democratic elected officials. That will probably be his role as the candidate for lieutenant governor,” Tserngolou said Thursday.

Benson has yet to choose her own running mate, though state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), state Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), and former state Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint) have all been reportedly floated as options.

Some Michigan Republicans are raising alarms after a video posted online appeared to show a non-U.S. citizen was on the state's voter roll.

The video came from James O’Keefe, a conservative pundit known for posting highly edited hidden-camera videos online.

In the new video, a person seems to pose as a noncitizen while asking a Michigan poll worker to confirm his voter registration. The person filming indicates he has a criminal record and has previously been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the video shows the person who appears to be a poll worker saying, "if your name is here, you can vote."

State Representative Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) chairs the Michigan House Election Integrity Committee. She said the purported noncitizen’s criminal record and previous ICE arrest should have raised alarms.

“I think we need answers on that. How was he on the rolls, how was he not removed?” Smit said during a press conference in Lansing on Wednesday.

For its part, the Michigan Department of State is warning to not take the video’s claims as fact without further review.

“Groups like this have a history of manufacturing shock videos that turn out to be false once the facts come to light. That said, we take every allegation of illegal activity seriously and will review these claims to see if they are supported by evidence.

“Nothing in the video shows evidence of people voting illegally in Michigan. In fact, the only thing this video seems to show is an 'investigative reporter' claiming to be somebody else during an election. In-person voter impersonation is a felony in Michigan,” an emailed statement from department spokesperson Angela Benander read.

The video was allegedly recorded during last week’s Michigan primary election. The U.S. Department of Justice sent federal observers to Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing, and East Lansing to monitor polling places.

Few issues came to light during their visit. But state Representative Gina Johnsen (R-Portland) said she would still like more federal oversight of Michigan’s voter rolls and elections in general.

“These allegations must be fully investigated, and Michigan should cooperate with federal authorities to identify and close any gaps in our safeguards,” Johnsen said.

The Republicans speaking at Wednesday's news conference framed the claims as a reason to tighten Michigan’s voter ID laws. They’re supporting a proposed amendment to the state constitution that could go before votes in November.

The policy would require a photo ID to register to vote, rather than checking a box affirming citizenship under the threat of perjury. People without photo IDs at the polls also wouldn’t have their vote counted without presenting their ID within six days after an election.

Michigan Republican Party co-chair Sunny Reddy said that won’t make voting harder.

“We can have secure elections and accessible elections. Every eligible citizen should be able to vote. Every legal ballot should be counted. And only those legally eligible to vote should participate in our elections,” Reddy said.

Critics of the proposal say it could lead to people being wrongly denied their right to vote, and that noncitizen voting is extremely rare and already a felony.

Michigan’s utility regulator has new policy recommendations to lower power bills.

The ideas break down into three categories. One involves creating more incentives for utilities to run more efficiently and provide better service. A second is to “rein in unnecessary costs.” The third is increasing chances for competition.

When it comes to rewarding utilities for providing better and cheaper service, the Michigan Public Service Commission argues tying a multi-year utility rate plan to performance and reliability would solve some issues.

Commission chair Dan Scripps said among those issues is frustration with utilities seemingly asking for another rate increase as soon as one gets approved.

“Let’s use that opportunity to also make the bills more affordable and that -- I think through using performance-based mechanisms and tying utility earnings more to core objectives around affordability and reliability and not just spending more to earn more -- I think that has the potential to really move the needle,” Scripps said Tuesday.

Another idea from the Public Service Commission is to get the most out of the existing power grid rather than spending more on building out a new one. The commission said current policies incentivize utilities to build more power lines and other infrastructure, even when there are cheaper and more efficient options.

When it comes to rewarding utilities for providing better and cheaper service, the Michigan Public Service Commission argues tying a multi-year utility rate to performance and reliability would solve some issues.

Scripps said it’s worth asking if a grid expansion proposal is “truly necessary” before approving it.

“Could we get more with a non-wires alternative. Maybe with some customer-sided generation options that make more of the grid that we have and address the congestion or other problems that are triggering the need for investment. But do it in a smarter way and, ultimately, in a more cost-effective way,” Scripps said.

The recommendations are a response to the governor’s request for it to examine ways of reducing power bills. To become policy, they’ll have to get through the state Legislature, where they already have some critics.

State Representative David Prestin (R-Cedar River) said the list seemed more “ornamental” to him without a meaningful rollback of the state’s clean energy laws, which Republicans see as a major obstacle to affordable power for both residents and industry.

“It seems like they’re doing everything they can to not talk about the 5,000-pound elephant in the room, which is Public Act 235 and the carbon neutrality mandate by 2040,” Prestin said in an interview.

He said some of the suggestions, like toughening requirements for data center power generation, could potentially help if tightened further. But he also criticized most of the ideas as doing too little.

For example, some policy recommendations would increase funding for low-income assistance and for making low-income homes run more energy efficiently. Prestin argued those investments would only provide benefits in a meaningful way years down the line.

“The consumer nowadays, they can’t afford a 30-year return on investment. They need relief now,” Prestin said.

Republicans packed the Kent County GOP office Thursday night to spread a message of party unity after Tuesday's primary election.
 
Candidates for Michigan’s major offices up for grabs in the November general election spoke at the event, including U.S. Senate, governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. There are no incumbents running in any of those races, meaning Democrats and Republicans both see a big chance to win each of the open seats.
 
Republicans fought a nasty primary battle in the governor’s race, while Democrats duked it out in one of the most expensive Senate primaries in history.
 
Former Congressman Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee, said Republicans got a head start on the November races knocking over a million doors while Democrats bickered.
 
“While they were doing all of that, we were going door to door, we were building teams, we were building the biggest ground game that we will have ever seen right here in Michigan,” Rogers told the modest but standing room-only crowd.
 
Rogers said the Republican strategy doesn’t change now that former public health official Abdul El-Sayed official won the Democratic Senate nomination.
 
Many outsiders considered the Democratic primary as a struggle between progressive and moderate paths forward for the party. The progressive platform came out on top, with El-Sayed backing policies like Medicare for All.
 
Now, Republicans are describing the general election as a choice between “common sense” and “crazy.”
 
No one at the top of the Democratic ticket describes themselves either a “Democratic socialist” or “communist.” El-Sayed, for his part, has said he’s a capitalist.
 
Still, Republican gubernatorial candidate and Congressman John James (R-MI 10) and others framed the other side as “communist.”
 
“We don’t have to look overseas because right now, Marxism is in our home. Right now, Marxism is on the march in Michigan,” James said to the crowd.
 
James won his primary race, in part, by aligning himself closely to President Donald Trump and his policies. The Trump endorsement helped push James to a large victory Tuesday night.
 
But Michigan is generally known as a swing state and Trump’s approval rating is underwater here, though he remains deeply popular among Republicans.
 
James said as his party’s nominee for governor, he’ll focus on “saving Michigan.”
 
“We’re going to be pushing back against socialism, we’ll be talking about the things that people really care about. Increasing affordability in the state of Michigan, increasing public safety in the state of Michigan, and fixing education in the state of Michigan. Those are things that unite all of us and I’m excited to take a message everybody can get behind,” James told reporters after the event.
 
He’ll be up against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the general election this November. The race is sure to attract a lot of attention and money.
 
In the Michigan attorney general’s race, Republican Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd will face Democratic Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.

For Secretary of State, Republican Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini will go up against Democratic Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.

The Democratic ticket is hosting a major kickoff party in Detroit Friday night.

Updated at 10:05 a.m.:

Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a massive victory for the party’s progressive wing in a battleground state.

The real test of El-Sayed’s and progressives’ strength will now come in a November matchup against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. The seat is pivotal to Democrats’ chances of flipping the Senate and El-Sayed will face the challenge of uniting a divided Democratic base after a bruising primary.

The race remained tight throughout Tuesday night, with a winner not declared until early Wednesday. In his final remarks at a primary night party before the race was called, El-Sayed said “tomorrow we begin to mend fences.”

El-Sayed's campaign said Stevens called to concede Wednesday.

El-Sayed’s win represents a significant shift for the Democratic Party; in 2018 he lost the gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points.

El-Sayed, a former health official, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” halting military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform. He had support from progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who framed the race as a grassroots-focused movement and a broader fight against the establishment and big-money spending.

Stevens, a more moderate candidate, was backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and tens of millions in outside spending, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s largest outlay ever in a single race.

Now comes the more difficult challenge for Democrats: uniting the party to defeat Rogers, for whom Republicans have already reserved large sums of money ahead of the general election. Democrats consider the seat a must-win if they are to flip control of the Senate this year.

El-Sayed called for unity to defeat Rogers

Early Tuesday evening, El-Sayed’s supporters in Detroit’s Majestic Theatre cheered at the first batches of votes, before mellowing. Hours later Stevens’ previously subdued partygoers roared as she narrowed the margin.

“Whatever happens tonight,” El-Sayed told a thinned but still energetic crowd, “we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate.”

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” campaign finance reform and ending military aid to Israel.

Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, focused on manufacturing and the economy. She stressed her past victories in tough races, saying she would be best positioned to beat Rogers.

Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including the largest investment in a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.

Michigan is a must-win Senate race for Democrats

The race will help decide which party controls the chamber in the last two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Those stakes have added heat to the rivalry, with moderates arguing that El-Sayed would have a harder time than Stevens against a Republican in the general election.

Stevens won election to Congress in 2018 after serving as chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s auto task force, which helped oversee the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Her campaign and allied groups have repeatedly highlighted that experience.

El-Sayed cast himself as the anti-establishment candidate and argued that Democrats need to reject corporate influence and embrace a more progressive agenda.

While the candidate has said he is not a democratic socialist, he found support from some of the group’s members. That included Melat Kiros, who recently beat a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat and was at El-Sayed’s watch party. Also there was Hasan Piker, a progressive and controversial influencer online.

The candidates’ differences were clear to some voters.

Kenneth Woodside, 87, of West Bloomfield, said he voted for El-Sayed over Stevens because “the nation is ready for someone who wants to take some more action rather than on the road we are now, which is on the road to an oligarchy and authoritarianism.”

Nessa Fuller, 51, of Birmingham, said she voted for Stevens because she will “fight to get the right things done, and she’ll work with other people, which is really important to me.”

Outside influences spent millions on the Senate race

National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country’s biggest tests of outside spending.

Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million, led by more than $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliates.

The spending thrust Israel policy into the center of the race even though the ads never mentioned it. While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.

Israel became a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid a war in Gaza that killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in its retaliatory offensive after about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken in attacks by the militant group Hamas.

McKinney wins Detroit US House primary

In a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit, the 13th, state Rep. Donavan McKinney defeated Rep. Shri Thanedar. McKinney argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress.

After Thanedar won election in 2022, Detroit had no Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.

Originally posted: Aug. 5, 2026, 5:45 a.m.

Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D, MI-11) ended her primary night in the race for Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination too close to call. Stevens is running against former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed.

Addressing her supporters, Stevens encouraged her supporters to stay focused on beating Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers in the general election.

“Republicans are going to do everything they can to throw all the dirt, all the mud, the kitchen sink at us because they want to keep the U.S. Senate red,” Stevens said.

“We have a responsibility to assure that we unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate," El-Sayed told supporters in Detroit this morning.

Former U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers did not have an opponent in the Republican primary.

"And so, Mike, and I know you're listening, Mike. We are coming for you," El-Sayed said.

The night ended with votes still being counted in Detroit, Flint, and Muskegon. All three were cities with sizeable Black populations core to Stevens’ base.

Many tried to paint the race as a test for whether her brand of moderate politics could counter El-Sayed’s progressive message amid a surge in populism.

At her election night party, many of her supporters framed her as a practical candidate best suited for a general election. That’s as Democrats see holding Michigan as a key piece of the party’s journey back to a U.S. Senate majority.

Detroiter Carl Ramsey is a former community organizer. He said Stevens got his support by showing up to events and winning past elections.

“[El-Sayed] was never elected to anything. He was appointed. Her experience elevates her to a position we need in D.C. It’s vicious in D.C. right now,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey said he hoped all Democrats unite around the party’s nominee once results are final.

Several current and former high-ranking Democrats endorsed Stevens during her campaign. The list includes Governor Gretchen Whitmer, retiring U.S. Senator Gary Peters, and former U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.

El-Sayed, on the other hand, got support from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York Congresswoman Alessandria Ocassio-Cortez, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D, MI-12).

At the watch party, Stabenow said she felt like Stevens’ supporters were more centered on winning in November than proving a point about national politics.

“It’s people in Michigan who have served Michigan, who have won in Michigan, who know what it takes to win in Michigan and do the job, and everybody who knows that has been supporting Haley,” Stabenow said in an interview.

Outside spending was also a considerable factor in the race, with research firm AdImpact ranking Michigan’s as one of the most expensive races in the country when it comes to advertising.

Stevens also saw outside groups, including ones funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spend upwards of $60 million dollars on ads on her behalf. El-Sayed, on the other hand, had around $7 million from outside groups spent on him.

The Michigan Supreme Court sided with the state Attorney General Friday in a case against drug-maker Eli Lilly.

The issue began in 2022 when Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asked a Lansing court for subpoenas to investigate insulin pricing under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act.

The law has an exception for government-licensed business operations. And, in past cases from 1999 and 2007, state courts broadly interpreted that exception to apply to authorized business in general, even when a company has allegedly acted in a specific way that isn’t allowed.

Eli Lilly, the maker of Humalog insulin, successfully fought the subpoenas claiming that the state's Consumer Protection Act exceptions covered its operations. But in a 4-3 split ruling, the Michigan Supreme Court is now overturning that precedent.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says that’s major. She noted concerns with the past interpretation of the law in a recorded video statement.

“If a business held any kind of license or occupational credential, they became untouchable. Even if their misconduct had nothing to do with the rules or laws that applied to their licensure,” Nessel said.

Despite the win to strike down the precedent, Nessel’s office still hasn’t accused Eli Lilly of doing anything wrong.

For that reason, liberal justices Kyra Harris Bolden and David Bernstein joined conservative Justice David Viviano in dissenting. Bolden wrote the dissenting opinion for the trio.

“Without trying to argue a violation of the MCPA, there’s no actual controversy. Fundamental to obtaining declaratory relief on the parties’ rights and obligations under the MCPA is asserting that a violation of the MCPA may have occurred,” Bolden wrote.

The case now returns to circuit court.

A pair of fresh rulings from the Michigan Supreme Court could affect sentencing for people who committed crimes when they were young.

One case is People of MI v. Eads. It involves a man convicted of second-degree murder for a shooting when he was 16. He originally received a 50-to-75-year sentence.

In recent years, however, state and federal courts have been scaling back lengthy sentences for crimes committed while a defendant was a minor.

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles are unconstitutionally cruel since children's brains aren’t fully developed.

Borrowing from that reasoning in 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court found giving youthful offenders life sentences with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder was also too long. The Eads case sought to extend that logic to his term-of-years sentence.

Writing for the Michigan court’s 6-1 majority, Justice Kimberly Thomas agreed a 50–75-year sentence was functionally life in prison. The court decided resentencing was necessary because of that.

“We find it highly pertinent that the 50-year minimum sentence imposed here creates, at minimum, a good possibility that a youthful offender will not live long enough to even be eligible for parole,” Thomas wrote in the opinion.

Groups support sentencing reform praised Thursday’s decision as a major step toward correcting unfair punishments for others. Michigan has led the nation in sentencing juveniles to life in prison, meaning any case casting a single sentence in doubt could affect others, and have implications for prosecutors' offices too.

Jon Wojtola is with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. He’s concerned that the court did not draw a new line for what would be an acceptable sentence for a youthful offender.

“The only thing they say is that specific sentence, that 50-to-75-year sentence, is unconstitutional and anything more than that would be unconstitutional. But what about anything less? They haven’t decided that. They’ve also left open the door for what other crimes are affected by this,” he said in an interview.

Phillip Comorski, the attorney representing the plaintiff in the case, said concerns about the ruling creating more appeals were just based on speculation for now.

“What I think the court is trying to do and what I think they are doing, is recognizing that individuals, such as juveniles should be treated differently because their brains are developing differently,” Comorski said Friday afternoon.

While the Eads case concerned whether a defendant is entitled to a new sentence, the state Supreme Court also ruled on a case concerning how those resentencing hearings play out.

In Thursday’s People of MI v. Black decision, the court unanimously found that if a defendant is seeking to use a psychological evaluation as evidence at a resentencing hearing, then prosecutors can require the defendant to undergo a psychological evaluation with their own expert.

But the prosecution cannot use that new information gained from that evaluation to form its case against a new sentence. The state Supreme Court has previously placed the burden of proof at resentencing hearings for youthful offenders on prosecutors.

The plaintiff had shared concerns that compelling him to the prosecutor’s psych exam in order to make his own case for release would unconstitutionally force him to testify against himself and help build the prosecutor’s case too.

His lawyer, Deborah LaBelle, said she thought Thursday’s ruling was “fair.” She said there’s already plenty of psychological evidence to pull from if prosecutors choose.

“I think that, in many cases, what the prosecutors are unhappy about is those psych evaluations done by the state without any counsel for the youth present almost uniformly show change, reformation, growth, remorse, and strides toward rehabilitation,” LaBelle said Friday.

LaBelle said she hopes the decision helps “move things forward” for her client and the dozens of youthful offenders hoping for a rehearing.

In a written statement provided, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office also expressed appreciation for the decision.

“We believe this decision will provide trial courts with a fuller picture of a defendant's psychological state," the prosecutor's office said. "We also believe this decision correctly balances a defendant's right against self-incrimination with the rights of victims and the public interest."

Michigan’s Attorney General is using a state law against Medicaid fraud to sue a nursing home operator over staffing levels.

The complaint accuses southeast Michigan-based Pioneer Health Care Management Inc. and nine facilities it manages of not meeting legally required patient-to-caregiver ratios. It covers a period from July 2020 through the end of 2025.

The lawsuit says during that span, facilities failed to reach staffing levels 96% of the time. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the company still turned in Medicaid reimbursement forms that claimed otherwise.

“When they say, ‘Yes, we have adequate staffing. Yes, we can manage the needs of an additional resident, or two, or three, or five, or how many,’ that is the underlying fraud,” Nessel told reporters during a press conference in Lansing Thursday.

Nessel said using the Michigan Medicaid False Claim Act in this way is a new attempt to hold healthcare facility operators accountable. She said her office doesn’t have the same authority that the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs does to shut facilities down.

LARA has already cited the facilities for concerns like giving psychotropic medications without permission, not properly monitoring side effects, and not addressing behavioral concerns.

David Tanay, the Health Care Fraud division chief with the Attorney General's Office, said the state has held individual employees responsible in the past when incidents occurred. But using the Medicaid law in this way could help spur real change.

“This case represents an attempt that is novel for Michigan to go it alone on this theory to try and hold ownership and management accountable for staffing conditions in the facilities,” he said.

Alison Hirschel is with the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. She acknowledged not having enough personnel is a real issue facing some nursing homes. But she said there are also other ways facilities spend their money, like “related-party” payments that make oversight hard.

“When nursing homes assert that they don’t receive enough money in reimbursement to do better, we don’t know if that’s because they really don’t receive enough money in total public funds or that they simply skim so much off in profits that there isn’t enough left over to care for residents,” Hirschel said.

The state is seeking monetary damages tied to the money the company made through its alleged wrongful conduct, plus a $5,000 to $10,000 dollar fine for each reimbursement claim filed when understaffed during the investigation.

Attempts to reach the defendants in the case Thursday afternoon were unsuccessful.