SPARTA, MI - The first of three debates among 2026 Republican candidates for Michigan governor kicked off without many punches pulled between candidates - and instead some policy agreement.

Inside Apple Valley Events, the same barn event venue where Vice President JD Vance spoke on the campaign trail in 2024, nearly all six Republican candidates in attendance agreed on proposals to remove either the state income tax or property tax - or both.

It was among the most frequently brought up issues.

They also mostly found agreement on supporting President Donald Trump if he decided to deploy the National Guard to Michigan.

Other topics discussed during Wednesday night’s debate: reworking state business incentives, a need to fix a broken education system and the importance of reinstating Righ

See Full Page