The Detroit City Clerk’s Office violated a law intended to protect election transparency by processing and tabulating absentee ballots early without alerting the public or taking other required steps, a Highland Park activist alleges in a lawsuit to be filed in federal court Monday. Robert Davis, a citizen watchdog of election practices, says the city began processing and tabulating absentee ballots on Thursday without taking the legal steps required to do so.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat who is running for governor as an independent, is raking in Republican cash and outside dark money in his election bid, raising questions about his political shift. Campaign finance records show Duggan raised $3.2 million in direct campaign donations for the year through July 20, outpacing Democratic frontrunner Jocelyn Benson and Republican candidates John James and Aric Nesbitt.

Ranked choice voting could come to Michigan — if the campaign to get it on the 2026 general election ballot is successful and voters approve. The Rank MI Vote campaign said it has started collecting signatures on Thursday.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan picked up a major endorsement Thursday in his independent bid for Michigan governor, but it should come to no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. The Detroit Regional Chamber’s political action committee unanimously endorsed Duggan more than 15 months before the 2026 election, an unusually early decision that follows months of the group’s favorable polling about the mayor’s prospects.

As Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan courts voters in his campaign for Michigan governor, many voters are wondering whether he would welcome support from one of the country’s most polarizing figures — Elon Musk. Duggan has raised questions over his apparent flirtation with Musk, who in June posted online about launching a new political movement. Duggan, who is running as an independent, replied at the time with a smiling emoji and wrote, “Now you’ve got my attention.”

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens said she plans to introduce legislation next week that would prevent President Donald Trump from unilaterally deploying active-duty military forces within the United States without approval from state or territorial leaders. The Michigan Democrat announced the “Stop Trump’s Abuse of Power Act” on Monday in response to the Trump administration’s deployment of U.S. Marines and thousands of federalized National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this month during protests tied to the president’s immigration crackdown.

One of Michigan’s most influential labor unions is throwing its support behind state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, marking the latest major endorsement for the progressive challenger in the 13th Congressional District. Michigan’s chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents more than 30,000 workers across four local unions, announced Monday it is backing McKinney, a former SEIU member and union leader.

Several of Detroit’s most prominent Black churches have joined forces with the National Black Empowerment Council to launch an ambitious campaign aimed at dramatically increasing voter turnout in a city that has struggled with apathy at the polls. The campaign, “Lift Every Voice & Vote Detroit,” began on Juneteenth and focuses on turning churches into what organizers are calling “100% Voting Churches,” which means congregations where every eligible member is registered and committed to voting in each election.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is endorsing state Rep. Donavan McKinney’s campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, joining U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib in supporting the Detroit lawmaker ahead of the August primary. Sanders’s endorsement adds to McKinney’s growing support from progressive Democrats, including six state senators, 11 state representatives, and numerous local elected officials.

U.S. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow is going bar-hopping this weekend. The Oakland County Democrat is appearing at breweries in the greater Detroit area “to show up, listen, and share a beer with Michiganders across the state,” her campaign says in a press release. The “McMorrow on Tap Brewery Tour” includes stops at the Ferndale Project at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 20, followed on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ypsilanti’s 734 Brewing, Flint Brewery at 3 p.m. in Flint, and Warren’s Kuhnhenn Brewing at 5 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and a coalition of progressive groups are organizing a rally and march at Clark Park in Detroit on Saturday as part of a national day of protest against political repression, authoritarianism, and attacks on immigrants and dissenters. Billed as a National Day of Defiance and Mass Mobilization, the Detroit event is one of more than 1,600 demonstrations planned across the country.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s campaign for governor is showing signs of drawing bipartisan support, but he still trails leading Republican and Democratic candidates statewide, a new poll shows. According to a survey released Tuesday by the Detroit Regional Chamber, Duggan, who is running as an independent, is winning a substantial share of votes in metro Detroit and appealing to both Democrats and Republicans.

Michigan voters are deeply divided along party lines over the state of the economy, with fears of a recession and inflation rising among Democrats and independents, while Republican voters express growing optimism, according to a new statewide poll released by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The survey, conducted by The Glengariff Group between April 24 and 28, shows that while a plurality of voters continues to believe Michigan is on the right track, those views have eroded since January, and that trend is driven primarily by shifting sentiment among Democrats and independents.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson violated the state’s Campaign Finance Act by using a public building to launch her campaign for governor, but will not face any penalties because of a “loophole” in the law, Attorney General Dana Nessel concluded in a letter released Monday. Both Benson and Nessel are Democrats.

Detroit residents will get a chance to hear directly from mayoral candidates this week at a community forum aimed at addressing some of the city’s most pressing issues. The “Run the City: Detroit Mayoral Forum” will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Boys & Girls Club at 16500 Tireman Ave. Hosted by a coalition of community and advocacy groups, the event is designed to create space for open dialogue between candidates and residents.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced Tuesday he’s running for Michigan attorney general in 2026, casting himself as a champion for civil rights and working people in a campaign rooted in progressive legal reform. “Our constitutional rights are under attack, and we can’t afford to back down,” Savit said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is endorsing a primary challenger to fellow Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar, an unusual move that highlights ideological divisions among Michigan Democrats. Tlaib on Monday threw her support behind state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who is running against U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in the 13th Congressional District.

State Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Democrat and staunch supporter of Israel, announced Thursday he’s running for U.S. Congress — but not in the district in which he lives. Moss lives in Southfield, which is part of the 12th Congressional District — a seat held by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only American Palestinian serving in Congress.

A push to legalize the feeding of deer and other wildlife in Michigan is reigniting a debate over public access to nature, wildlife disease prevention, and the role of state regulators. The legislation, introduced last month with support from 45 state lawmakers — most of them Republicans — would allow residents to feed animals near their homes, despite a longstanding ban by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) aimed at curbing the spread of diseases among deer.