I can’t say that 2026 is the most important election of our lives. 

That was 2024, when we cancelled America’s trial subscription to communism. And it will be 2028, when we face our suicidal Siamese twin, yet again, for control of this country. 

But don’t sleep on these off-year elections either. If your community has local elections in 2025, you should focus on those. 

But across Michigan, everything is up for grabs in 2026. 

Republicans have one basic problem in 2026, in Michigan and everywhere else. Donald Trump is not walking through that door. After three presidential campaigns and two victories, Trump’s name will never appear on another ballot. 

Now the question is, can the movement win without the man? It remains to be seen, but past returns, honestly, aren’t promising. 

Fortunately in Michigan, we have plenty of motivation to fight, Trump or no Trump. Because nothing less than the future of our state is on the ballot in two years.

The 2026 election is a 165-seat opportunity to change the character of Michigan politics. All 110 state House seats, all 38 state Senate seats, and all 13 U.S. House seats are up for grabs.

Then we have the four big races that the whole world will be watching: governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and Gary Peters’ U.S. Senate seat. 

As I see things, there are two that matter most. The governor’s race decides who controls Michigan. Who controls its personnel, its executive branch agencies. Who controls the 45,000 state employees. Who sets the framework of the budget that lawmakers ultimately pass.

It matters who the governor is. The last five years under Gretchen Whitmer should have taught you that. 

Our secretary of state controls election integrity and, ultimately, Michigan’s image in the eyes of the world. For two straight presidential elections, it took Jocelyn Benson a full day to count Michigan’s votes. This time it didn’t matter, and Benson and her cronies were left counting out Trump’s win in the bowels of Cobo Hall, without national cameras and without fanfare.

But we hit a new low this election cycle when a Chinese national voted, and Benson said his vote would count. Election integrity used to be a strength in Michigan, and Benson has turned it into a weakness. 

She’s acted as a member of the Democrat party, not a servant of 10 million people. And so if Republicans want to win the future, they’ll talk about and they’ll focus on election integrity. It matters who counts the votes. Look, it’s a month after the election, and they’re still counting votes in California. That could be Michigan if another Democrat replaces Benson.

2026 is the ultimate battle for Michigan. Every office that matters is up for grabs. Every politician who matters will make their voice heard. 

Just a month after the election, you should celebrate Trump’s victory and any part you played in it. Congrats, you saved America from communism, just as your grandpa saved it from Nazism in the 1940s. 

Enjoy this moment. You’ve earned it. But recognize that 2026 is going to be here before you know it. You just saved your country. Now, will you save your state?

James David Dickson is host of the Enjoyer Podcast. Join him in conversation on Twitter at @downi75.