Aug. 14, 2026 | This Week in Government: Republicans Praise James Choice of DeBoyer for LG

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With just over a week to go before Republicans’ August convention, party leaders lined up to voice support for U.S. Rep. John James’s choice of Rep. Jay DeBoyer as his running mate in the race for governor.

James, R-Shelby Township, officially announced the former county clerk and current House Oversight Committee Chair DeBoyer, R-Clay, as his pick for lieutenant governor in a post to X Thursday morning, in which he said he made the choice because DeBoyer “has run a business, served in local government and overseen elections.”

“He knows how to work with both parties in the Legislature to get things done. Jay embodies the West Point Honor Code principles I expect in my administration: restoring integrity, competenc,e and trust in state government,” James said in the post. “He will lead the fight against corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse, protecting core services while fixing what’s broken. Michigan deserves a government as good as its people, focused on excellent schools, safer streets, and an affordable Michigan. Jay will help us deliver it.”

The pair gave remarks to an enthusiastic crowd of Macomb County Republican Party members on Thursday evening, where they received a standing ovation.

“This is a man who knows where all the bodies are buried but doesn’t have dirty, bloody hands,” James said of DeBoyer at the event.

Once formally nominated at the Aug. 22 convention, DeBoyer will give up his nomination to the 63rd House District. The local Republican Party will choose a replacement nominee. It is a solidly Republican district, meaning that choice will be a shoo-in to win election in November.

“We are headed to extremely, extremely dangerous terriroty, in the wrong direction,” DeBoyer said to the Macomb County Republicans.

Nomination of DeBoyer will give Michigan Republicans their first all-male ticket (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general) since 1978. James is only the second major party nominee for governor who is Black. The late Bill Lucas, nominated in 1986 by Republicans, was the first.

DeBoyer posted his own statement to social media later in the day.

“With freedom on the ballot and the future of our state at stake, I’m humbled and honored to join John James as his pick for lieutenant governor,” he said. “Michiganders face a clear choice between socialism and a bold new direction rooted in freedom, opportunity, and prosperity. John is the right leader to win this fight, turn our state around, and build a Michigan where future generations can live, work, raise a family and thrive.”

DeBoyer must clear the official nominating process at convention next weekend, where gubernatorial candidates’ picks for lieutenant governor are traditionally respected by delegates. Several high-profile members of the Michigan Republican Party came out in support of James’s choice on Thursday, including his former primary competitors and colleagues in Congress.

House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, offered high praise for DeBoyer in a Thursday afternoon post to X, saying he gave DeBoyer “one of the toughest assignments in the House” in making him chair of the Oversight Committee.

“Jay used Oversight’s new subpoena authority and new subcommittees to investigate problems all across state government. He exposed failures in the Michigan State Police, investigated child welfare, took Jocelyn Benson to court over election-training materials, rooted out waste, fraud and abuse in economic development, and investigated the DNR and Dana Nessel for wrongdoing,” Hall said. “Oversight’s work led to the resignation of a high-ranking official, exposed hidden records and triggered the AG’s investigation into the MEDC. Jay has never been afraid to take on powerful people when MI taxpayers deserve answers. I’ve worked closely with Jay for a long time, and I know his character, work ethic and commitment to the people of Michigan. John James made an excellent choice.”

One Oversight Committee clip making the rounds Thursday was DeBoyer grilling the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, about her violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act when she held a campaign press conference inside the Richard H. Austin State Office Building.

Former gubernatorial candidate and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said DeBoyer is a “great pick” in a Thursday Facebook post.

“As chair of the House Oversight Committee, he’s worked hard to hold Benson and Whitmer accountable. He’s a well-respected conservative, small business owner and legislator who will work with Gov. James to deliver real reforms for Michigan,” Nesbitt said in the post. “We need to repeal the Green New Scam and lower energy costs, take a flamethrower to the corrupt Lansing bureaucracy, and (root) out waste, fraud, and abuse, so Michigan families can keep more of what they earn; make sure every kid can read. Let’s go win!”

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, said she’s “proud to call (DeBoyer) a fellow resident” of the 9th U.S. House District and that he will be “a tremendous addition to the team.”

“Michigan families deserve better. John James and Jay DeBoyer will bring common sense back to Lansing, put an end to the crazy and fight to put more money back in the pockets of hardworking Michiganders,” she said in a statement. “This is a strong ticket that will win back Michigan and get our state moving in the right direction.”

Attorney general and secretary of state candidates Doug Lloyd and Anthony Forlini both pledged support for DeBoyer and welcomed him to the ticket, stating his local government experience and work in seeking transparency at the state level would make him an asset to James.

“Michigan, these are two good men who will bring common sense, transparent, and strong accountability measures to government to better serve the people of our state,” Forlini said.

Joe Moss, the Republican nominee for the 89th House District and a co-founder of the conservative Ottawa Impact group, praised DeBoyer as “a fighter and a fantastic legislator” who “loves America, supports strong law enforcement and will never compromise on election integrity or protecting kids.”

Striking a less laudatory tone, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said James and DeBoyer are well-suited. MDP cited DeBoyer’s 0% on the Michigan AFL-CIO’s scorecard, endorsements by Right to Life of Michigan and removal of Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, from the House Oversight Committee after her calls for an investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Interlochen Arts Academy in Grand Traverse County.

It was Hall who removed Tsernoglou, not DeBoyer.

“Facing intense pressure to pick the most MAGA candidate possible, John James has settled on Jay DeBoyer, who evidently decided that he’d rather jump onto a two-time statewide loser’s sinking ship than continue on House Republicans’ road to the minority. James and DeBoyer are cut from the same cloth: they’re both MAGA extremists who will put Donald Trump first and Michigan last,” Hertel said in a statement. “DeBoyer has voted in lockstep with Republicans’ extreme agenda in Lansing, peddled disproven election conspiracy theories, received thousands of dollars in campaign cash from the DeVos family, and even refused to open an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to a Michigan school.”

Michigan continues to make progress toward its goal of having 60% of its residents hold a post-secondary credential or degree by 2030, officials told the State Board of Education on Tuesday, with a rate of 51.8% as of 2026.

As of 2024 data, the number for the Detroit Region was 54.7%, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber’s State of Education and Talent.

Officials from the Department of Education and Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential updated the board on their collaborative efforts to meet the goal, which include operating programs to increase credential attainment both for students directly post-high school and later in life.

“We are truly working as partners,” MiLEAP Director Beverly Walker-Griffea told board members. “Our work continues to connect for Michigan’s educational and economic dynamics. We’re so happy that we’ve made meaningful progress to the state’s Sixty by 30 goal.”

The latest available data shows 54.6% of Michigan’s senior class of 2025 enrolled in college within six months of graduation. There continues to be a significant gender divide in enrollment and completion of bachelor’s degree programs, with 61% of female students becoming enrolled in college six months post-graduation to just 47% of male students.

Among graduates of the class of 2019, 36.6% of female students completed a bachelor’s degree within six years of finishing high school, compared to 26.7% of male students. Among 2019 high school graduates who did enroll in college within 6 months of graduation, 81.8% of female students completed a bachelor’s degree within six years and 76.5% of male students.

Students of color are still less likely to enroll in college and are less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree when they do: white students from the class of 2019 enrolled in college six months after graduation saw an 81.6% rate of bachelor’s degree completion within six years of high school, compared to 74.9% of Hispanic students, 58.3% of Black students, and 56.2% of indigenous students.

The state is undertaking efforts to increase participation in dual enrollment, in which Michigan falls behind other Midwest states, and postsecondary education participation of male students statewide.

Michigan’s healthcare industry generated $115 billion in economic value and contributed $25.1 billion in tax revenue, a report released Wednesday by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association said.

The report covers the 2024 fiscal year and highlights healthcare’s role as one of the state’s leading economic drivers, a press release said.

Hospitals alone provide more than 222,000 direct jobs and $11.3 billion a year in tax revenue, represent 45% of healthcare’s direct tax revenue and remain the largest healthcare sector in the state, the report said.

“Hospitals are not only essential to the health of Michiganders, but they are also fundamental to the health of our state’s economy,” MHA Chief Executive Officer Brian Peters said in a statement. “These findings demonstrate the tremendous value hospitals bring to communities across the state through the care they provide, the jobs they create, and the economic activity they generate. To sustain those contributions, we must continue supporting hospitals and investing in the workforce that makes care possible.”

The report, and its claims, come as House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, and House Republicans have pushed a package of bills that would put restrictions on hospital consolidation and pricing.

Healthcare generates $51.4 billion in wages annually compared to $28.1 billion for education and $19.4 billion for automotive manufacturing.

Additionally, MHA released results from its annual Michigan hospital workforce survey, which it said shows high demand for healthcare professionals. In 2025, hospitals hired 58,000 workers and employ about 222,000 people. This includes 67,000 registered nurses.

Michigan hospitals continue to outperform national nurse retention rates, with a turnover rate 4.6 percentage points lower than the national average of 17.6%.

There are still workforce shortage challenges, though, the survey showed. Hospitals reported 23,000 open positions and 4,7000 specific openings for nurses. The survey includes responses from more than 95% of all Michigan acute-care inpatient hospitals.

The long-awaited permit for Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 tunnel project was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday, although construction is not imminent given other hurdles.

Last month, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered the Public Service Commission to consider additional factors in its permit for the project. Other court cases dealing with the operation of the existing pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac and the tunnel are pending as well.

Still, the U.S. Army Corps decision comes after years of review and is a key milestone for Enbridge.

“The approval of this key federal permit for the Great Lakes Tunnel Project is a significant step forward and reflects the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ more than six years of rigorous, comprehensive review,” Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy said in a statement. “Enbridge is committed to protecting the Great Lakes, the region’s natural and cultural resources, and the waterfront communities that depend on them, while also ensuring reliable energy for the region.”

Opponents of the project, including environmental groups and Native American tribes in the region, argue the existing pipeline is not safe, and the tunnel should not be built. A coalition of tribes in a statement blasted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The decision by the U.S. Army Corps is more than a procedural failure, it is a profound breach of the United States’ treaty trust responsibility to Tribal Nations,” Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle said in a statement. “Our treaties are solemn promises that carry the highest legal and moral obligation, yet the Corps cast that aside. They disregarded our treaty rights, ignored the information we provided through consultation, and pushed past cultural resource obligations under the manufactured excuse of an ‘energy emergency.’ Instead of honoring the commitments embedded in the 1836 Treaty of Washington, they chose to treat Tribal Nations as an obstacle rather than as sovereigns whose rights must be honored – all to advance Enbridge’s interests at the expense of our homelands, our waters and the Great Lakes.”

Duffy said Line 5 is safe, and the company will continue operating it “safely and responsibly, incorporating enhanced safety measures in the Straits, and protecting Michigan’s natural and cultural resources.”

The U.S. Army Corps determined the tunnel would not abrogate Tribal treaty rights and it is not “contrary to the public interest.”

“This has been a very carefully weighed decision,” Detroit District Commander Lt. Col. Donald K. Lew said in a statement. “The approval of the Enbridge Line 5 tunnel permit application is the culmination of a robust and thorough evaluation process. The Detroit District team worked extensively with and appropriately considered the views of various federal and state resource agencies, Tribes, and the applicant. I am confident that we have granted authorization for a thoroughly vetted proposal that will meet the purpose and need for the project while maximizing protection of natural resources.”

The approval includes a series of special conditions, including limitations on when certain work can begin, requirements to restore temporarily filled areas with native materials within six months of completed construction and the preservation and restoration of wetlands around the project.

David Holtz, coalition coordinator for Oil & Water Don’t Mix, panned the decision from the Army Corps and said an alternate option wasn’t seriously considered.

“The Army Corps’ decision is a thoroughly flawed product of a rushed process driven by the Trump administration’s phony ‘national energy emergency,’” Holtz said in a statement. “It puts Enbridge’s interests ahead of a full examination of the future of Line 5, the protection of the Great Lakes and the treaty rights of Tribal Nations whose homelands and sacred waters would bear the consequences.”

Michigan’s Employment Index shows more tightness in the state’s market than at the national level, a report from the National Federation of Independent Business shows.

The report, released this week, shows Michigan’s small businesses overall are in parity with businesses nationwide.

“This report highlights the resiliency Michigan’s small business community has and the dedication small business owners have for their business,” NFIB Michigan State Director Amanda Fisher said in a statement. “While Michigan is similar to the national numbers on a majority of these categories, it’s worth noting the ongoing hiring challenges in our state.”

The Small Business Economic Trends State of the States report tracks economic activity among small businesses in the U.S. The survey measures changes in sales, employment, investment, financing, and economic sentiment.

Michigan’s optimism index has often been the same or higher than the nationwide optimism index, the report said, even during the recession in the early 2000s, when Michigan was hit earlier and harder than the rest of the nation.

“That is a long introduction to contextualize the current level of the Optimism Index, which suggests underperformance,” the report said.

The state’s optimism index was 96.5 against 98.5 for the U.S, which puts the state under the historical average of 98.

“However, last period Michigan had a 1.8-point advantage over the U.S., scoring well above the historical average at 100.4,” the report said. “Add in the 15 prior years of matching the U.S. and the takeaway should be that the small business environment is roughly as healthy in Michigan as it is in the U.S. overall. More months of data are needed before this period’s negative result is seen as a trend.”

The report also includes metrics on business health, employment, uncertainty, and top issues facing small businesses.

Michigan’s business health data indicates that Michigan is retaining its parity with the U.S., and the underperformance in the optimism index may be a temporary blip, the report said.

Michigan has 2 percentage points more small businesses in excellent health and 2 fewer points in poor health.

The group’s employment index uses six components related to hiring and compensation and turns them into a single number. A higher number means a tighter labor market where workers are harder to find and retain, and a lower number means a weaker labor market where hiring and retention are relatively easier.

Michigan’s employment index is 2.6 points higher than the national figure, coming in at 104.2.

The report said data shows that the higher figure primarily reflects wage pressure rather than hiring. There is pressure to retain talent, which is more prominent than increasing the workforce.

The top issue for Michigan’s small business owners is labor quality, followed by taxes. The next three issues are inflation, government regulation, and the cost of labor.