Historic election a referendum on energy bills, data centers, utility accountability

Election results make clear Michiganders want their leaders to stand up for them, not big utility companies

LANSING – Michiganders across the state sent a resounding message to those in power: they want leaders who are going to stand up to monopoly utilities like DTE and Consumers Energy and crack down on unchecked data center projects.

The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) ballot measure passing with a whopping 84% shows clearly that utility greed and money in our political system is a concern shared by Republicans, Democrats and independents.  

And, champions endorsed by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters – who refused political donations from monopoly utilities like DTE and Consumers Energy – won big on Tuesday evening, demonstrating that Michiganders want elected officials who will bring energy costs down and continue to chart a path toward a clean energy future.

“Michiganders are tired of skyrocketing energy bills and a system where DTE and Consumers money pollutes our politics – and they made their feelings on it crystal clear,” said Bob Allison, deputy director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “For too long our state’s monopoly utilities, which have provided some of the worst service in the country, have swayed lawmakers with massive political donations, blocking common sense policies to lower our energy bills. Those days are coming to an end.”

Every single candidate that Michigan LCV endorsed won their election. Of the 14 state legislative seats that flipped, 78% (11 total) of those newly elected leaders have taken Michigan LCV’s pledge to refuse utility money contributions. In the majority of cases, their opponents refused and accepted utility money in the past.

Governor-elect Jocelyn Benson, Secretary Of State-elect Garlin Gilchrist, and Attorney General-elect Eli Savit – all took the No Utility Money Challenge – won on Tuesday.

Each has made clear they plan to rein in the influence of monopoly utility companies in Lansing. Benson’s platform explicitly calls for greater utility accountability and lower energy bills.

Up and down the ballot, candidates that ran on refusing utility money, pushing back on data centers and holding utility companies accountable to lower our energy bills won:

 

• Abdul El-Sayed, who has frequently blasted DTE and Consumers and made refusing their money a key part of his campaign, also won convincingly over his opponent, former Republican House Representative Mike Rogers.

 

• State Senator Sean McCann beat incumbent Bill Huizenga, critiquing Trump’s forced continued operation of the outdated and expensive Campbell Coal Plant as a driver of increasing energy bills throughout his campaign. 

 

• Alex Hawkins, who ran in the competitive 55th state House district, campaigned on ending constant rate hikes from DTE Energy while the monopoly utility makes record profits year after year. 

 

• State Senator Kevin Hertel won his race, running on a platform of putting strict guardrails on data centers to prevent energy bills from spiking and protect our water. 

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