John James

Samantha Sayles, Senior Digital Producer

Michigan gubernatorial candidates John James and Jocelyn Benson were asked in a debate about their stance on data centers.

In the 2026 Michigan gubernatorial debate hosted by WDIV and moderated by morning co-anchor and Flashpoint host Jason Colthorp, the candidates answered questions on topics Michiganders care most about, particularly data centers.

James’ campaign has gotten more than $100,000 in donations from data center developers, and the congressman has some investments in data center companies.

Benson’s husband is a senior vice president at the company trying to build a massive data center in Saline Township and lobbied for it before the township board.

Both candidates have talked about a one-year moratorium on data centers, but they were asked why voters should trust either of them to make decisions in their best interests rather than the companies’ interests.

In the debate, Benson said her family has not profited from data centers, and she disclosed her finances. She also said she supports a moratorium to pause new data center development until guardrails are in place.

Benson claimed James voted four times to deny local residents a choice about whether data centers could come to their area.

“I have a plan to ensure that your voices are protected and heard,” Benson said. “He’s voted against that right that you should have.”

James accused Benson of gaining $370,000 in profit and omitting the information in 2025.

“[Benson] and her husband bulldozed the will of the people of Saline to carpet over the productive green farmland against her commitment,” James said. “Of course, she’s gonna come up with a moratorium after they’ve already made out with $370,000 on these deals with back rooms.”

James said his five-part moratorium aims to stop new data centers until there’s a plan to protect the communities.

You can listen to the candidate’s full statements from the Oct. 15 debate on data centers in Michigan by watching the video at the top of this article.

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Samantha Sayles is an Oakland University alumna who’s been writing Michigan news since 2022. Before joining the ClickOnDetroit team, she wrote stories for WILX in Lansing and WEYI in Flint.

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