Voters in Michigan will have the chance to watch candidates for U.S. Senate debate for the first time since 2008. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan and Republican military veteran John James meet in Detroit and Grand Rapids. 

Both candidates have accepted invitations to participate in debates hosted by WGVU-TV in Grand Rapids Oct. 14 and the Detroit Economic Club Oct. 15. A partner station has not yet been selected for the Detroit debate. 

James was first to issue a challenge, requesting six debates with Stabenow ahead of the general election. He later accepted invitations for three debates taking place in Detroit, along with three more in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Flint. 

When Stabenow was last up for reelection, in 2012, she did not debate her Republican opponent, Pete Hoekstra. In 2014, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, did not debate Republican candidate Terri Lynn Land in their race to fill the seat vacated by former Sen. Carl Levin when he retired.

Polling released Sept. 26 by Ipsos shows Stabenow leading James by 20 points

U.S. House of Representatives (MI-08)

Candidates in one of this year’s most hotly contested races for the U.S. House of Representatives will debate at least three times. 

Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Michigan, and former intelligence officer Elissa Slotkin, his Democratic challenger, will debate one another during a televised debate on WDIV in Detroit Oct. 5, a radio debate on WILS in Lansing Oct. 16 and at a forum in Livingston County Oct. 18. Slotkin’s campaign had previously expressed interest in a fourth town hall style debate hosted on MSU’s campus, which the Bishop campaign said they could not attend due to a scheduling conflict.

Slotkin first challenged Bishop to debate three times after winning the Democratic primary. Weeks later, Bishop responded by challenging her to three debates.  

In July, the Cook Political Report shifted their race projection from “lean Republican” to “toss-up,” citing Slotkin’s strong fundraising and saying that “multiple private surveys depict Bishop in weak shape.”

A Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll from Sept. 26 showed Slotkin leapfrogging Bishop with a 47 percent to 43 percent lead, after she trailed him by five points in August polling.

Governor

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer, the former minority leader of the Michigan Senate, will face off with her Republican opponent, Attorney General Bill Schuette, twice in October. 

Their first debate, taking place in Grand Rapids Oct. 12, will be moderated by WOOD TV8 political reporter Rick Albin. They will face off again less than two weeks later, facing questions from Kimberly Gill and Devin Scillian of WDIV during an Oct. 24 debate in Detroit. 

Both debates will be televised by the host stations and streamed online, and are expected to be simulcast across Michigan on other stations. The schedule was announced in mid-September following weeks of negotiations between the campaigns. 

Schuette first challenged Whitmer to debate on Aug. 9, two days after the primary. He requested a minimum of three debates, with two taking place in Detroit and Grand Rapids, while the third would be in Lansing, Flint, or Traverse City. Later that day, Whitmer challenged Schuette to three debates. 

Where the campaigns disagreed, however, was in Whitmer’s stipulation that each debate have a predetermined focus. Her campaign requested the debate in Grand Rapids be focused on healthcare, the one in Detroit on education and skills training, and the one in Flint on clean water and infrastructure. 

Polling released by Ipsos on Sept. 26 shows Whitmer holding a 13-point lead over Schuette, 52 percent to 39 percent.

Secretary of State

Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State, has accepted an invitation toparticipate in a debate on WKAR’s Off the Record. The event is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 19.

Republican candidate Mary Treder Lang has not accepted WKAR's invitation yet, but has accepted an invitation from CBS Detroit to debate on Michigan Matters on Thursday of this week. Benson's campaign turned that invitation down, but accepted a separate invitation from CBS Detroit to be interviewed individually by Carol Cain.

Polling conducted by Glengariff Group from Sept. 5-7 shows Benson leading Lang 44 percent to 29 percent. 

Attorney General 

Speaker of the Michigan House Tom Leonard, the Republican nominee for Attorney General, on Sept. 18 challenged Democrat Dana Nessel and independent Chris Graveline to participate in two debates. Negotiations are underway between the campaigns.

Nessel holds the lead in the race for attorney general, according to a Glengariff Group survey conducted Sept. 5 through 7. The poll showed her leading Leonard 42 percent to 29 percent.

Michigan House of Representatives, 69th District

Two candidates for the Michigan House of Representatives seat currently held by state Rep. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, will face one another in a debate hosted by HOMTV on Oct. 4. Singh, who is the Democratic Leader in the House, is unable to seek reelection due to constitutional term limits. Democrat Julie Brixie and Republican George Nastas seek to replace him.

Michigan Senate, 23rd District

Incumbent state Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr., D-East Lansing, and his Republican challenger, Andrea Pollock, will not face one another in an official debate ahead of the general election. Pollock is the Michigan Republican Party’s deputy political director.

This story was updated at 3:41 p.m. on Sept. 27 to include information on East Lansing's state House and Senate districts.