Jocelyn Benson Proposes Ban on Michigan Utilities Political Spending to Curb Corporate Influence

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jocelyn Benson announced a plan to ban regulated utilities from spending money to influence or elect politicians. The proposal would limit political contributions from DTE Energy and Consumers Energy if she wins the governor's race in fall 2026.

Benson unveiled the plan as part of a broader energy reform agenda aimed at addressing high gas and electricity rates for Michigan residents. She wants to end what she calls a conflict of interest between utility companies and the state regulators who oversee their rate-setting decisions.

"We are going to end the conflict of interest so that companies seeking to raise rates cannot influence making those rules and decisions that are meant to regulate them," Benson said during a news conference in Saginaw on April 10.

The proposal comes as Michigan faces growing concerns about utility reliability and rising costs. Recent federal data shows Michigan has some of the longest power outage times in the country. Benson's campaign argues that utility profits should be tied directly to service reliability rather than political connections.

Utility Political Contributions

In the last legislative session, DTE and Consumers-affiliated political action committees gave to 120 of 148 legislators campaigns or leadership funds. The contributions totaled nearly $560,000 over two years and were almost evenly split between Democratic and Republican lawmakers and their related leadership PACs.

Benson received contributions from utilities in past campaigns but said she has not accepted funds from them for her current run. A DTE PAC gave Benson $4,000 for her failed 2010 secretary of state campaign and $2,000 for her winning 2018 campaign, according to state campaign finance records. A Consumers Energy employee PAC gave Benson $7,000 between 2018 and 2021.

"At least 22 other states across the country have introduced or adopted proposals to limit investor-owned utilities political activities," according to the Energy and Policy Institute.

Benson's Energy Plan

Beyond limiting political spending, Benson outlined several other reforms to the energy sector:

Comprehensive grid audit to identify weaknesses and infrastructure needs in the state power supply

Home energy bills relief program to help residents weatherize homes, upgrade insulation, replace outdated heating and cooling systems, and expand flexible payment plan options

Tie utility profits to service reliability

Increase outage credits available to ratepayers

Reform the rate-setting process handled by the Michigan Public Service Commission

Ensure corporations rather than ratepayers pay for increased energy demands

Protect residents from unfair electricity shutoffs

Expand prevailing wage requirements and create more union jobs in Michigan clean energy sector

"We are paying these skyrocketing bills and we do not know where all this money is going," Benson said. "Is it going to eliminate these outages and modernize our grid? Or is it just going to increase the profits of corporations and CEOs?"

Utility Responses

Both DTE and Consumers Energy issued statements that did not directly address Benson's specific proposals but acknowledged affordability concerns.

"We know that Michiganders are experiencing the cost of everything increasing from groceries to housing to gas prices which is why we are focused on securing the grid powering homes and investing in Michigan," Consumers spokesperson Katie Carey said.

DTE spokesperson Ryan Lowry said the utility is "mindful of the impact any increase can have on our customers and continue to look for ways to manage costs responsibly." He added that over the past five years DTE has worked to make the grid stronger and smarter.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce criticized Benson's proposal, arguing that limiting utility political spending would be an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.

Ballot Initiative Connection

Benson did not offer specifics on how much her plans would cost to implement. Her proposal is not an endorsement of an ongoing Michigan petition drive seeking to ban political spending by utilities or state government contractors.

Sean McBrearty, who co-chairs the Michiganders for Money out of Politics group behind the ballot initiative, said the coalition welcomes alternative plans to limit political influence and increase government transparency.

"We are hopeful that Secretary Benson plan would ban direct and indirect contributions from utilities entities associated with them and government contractors as our initiative does," McBrearty told Bridge Michigan in an email. "We look forward to further details being released."

As secretary of state, Benson cannot weigh in on pending ballot initiatives which are reviewed by her office to determine if they qualify for the ballot.

The 2026 Michigan governor's race features Benson competing against Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson former Cape Coral Florida Mayor Marni Sawicki and biochemist Kevin Hogan for the Democratic Party nomination.

Benson currently oversees Michigan campaign finance system as secretary of state. Her proposal would limit political spending by regulated utilities which are associated with political action committees and dark money groups that have donated to causes and candidates from both major political parties.