Fact check: John James, Jocelyn Benson debate data centers, tariffs, more
A Michigan gubernatorial debate between John James and Jocelyn Benson included disputes over data center regulation, local control and their connections to the industry. James said he no longer supports a statewide data center moratorium, while Benson defended her family’s financial disclosures concerning her husband’s former work on Related Companies’ Saline data center project.
Republican congressional nominee John James and Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson debated data centers during a televised Michigan gubernatorial forum in Grand Rapids. James said data center decisions should be made by local governments rather than Lansing and indicated he would not support a statewide moratorium, reversing or clarifying an earlier campaign position favoring a pause until standards for local control, electricity use and environmental protections were established.
The candidates also traded accusations about industry ties. Benson’s husband earned compensation from Related Companies, which helped develop a data center in Saline, but the company said he received a standard salary and bonus rather than a project commission and no longer works on the facility. Benson denied that her family profited from the project, while the article found no evidence that data center-related investments drove James’ wealth. The debate also examined James’ congressional votes involving local authority over data centers and the electricity infrastructure used to power them.