A New Plan for Money Out of Politics in Michigan

Guest Opinion

By Justin Mendoza | Aug. 22, 2026

Regardless of how you define yourself politically, almost everyone has a visceral negative reaction when they hear the c-word: corruption.

However, it’s important to figure out exactly what we mean by “corruption.” Many of us define it as using public office for personal—often financial—gain. But there are also other types of corruption that are abundant in Michigan. One of the most insidious types of corruption is the way that corporations and their associated entities game the political system to get more money and power. And that, my friends, is something that we as Michiganders need to champion ourselves to fight against.

Getting money out of politics is top of mind for Michiganders right now. Heading into the election this November, voters will have the opportunity to decide on a ballot initiative that would do exactly this, and Progress Michigan polling shows that four out of five voters want to see that initiative pass. But there’s also a new bill Lansing lawmakers introduced that will help steer our state in the right direction toward a more transparent and accountable government that works for everyone, not wealthy corporations.

Michigan legislators recently introduced a bill that would go after dark corporate money in our elections. Introduced by state Senator Sean McCann and state Representative Betsy Coffia, it’s modeled after a plan in Montana (aptly named “the Montana plan”) that seeks to redefine what powers corporations have under state law.

It makes it clear that anyone who is not a living, breathing person is not granted the power to use corporate funds to influence politics while leaving individuals fully free to participate in the political process. In other words, it helps level the playing field between us voters and corporations that have been spending record sums of money in our elections.

The goal of the Montana plan is to help course correct after the disastrous 2010 Citizens United United States Supreme Court decision, which has given corporations the unfettered ability to spend gobs of money on elections, a number that continues to grow.

The nonprofit Public Citizen has found that corporations have already spent more than half a billion dollars trying to sway public opinion on the 2026 midterm elections. Michigan also had the most expensive U.S. Senate primary in history this year on the Democratic side, and only time will tell how much more dark money advertisements we’ll be inundated with on our screens until November.

Michigan has a history of regulating corporate influence in our elections, and it’s time to lean back into this spirit. One of the court cases that Citizens United overturned was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving Michigan, Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce. The opinion from 1990 ruled that a Michigan law banned corporations from spending treasury money to influence elections. However, there were loopholes in that law that allowed corporations to use separate funds for political speech, and of course all this went out the door with the Citizens United decision.

Now, Michigan lawmakers are looking at bringing the Montana plan to our state. It’s a noble cause considering that Michigan has ranked 48th among all states and the District of Columbia for ethics and transparency in state government.

This isn’t just about ensuring our government is accountable to us, it is also an issue of affordability. Monopoly utilities in our state have the ability to raise prices year after year, while donating near-endless amounts of cash to our lawmakers who have the power to rein them in. And what do we Michiganders get in return? The answer is higher bills year after year. With high and rising costs for just about everything, we need our elected officials to be accountable to the people, not corporations that are trying to line their own pockets.

A large majority of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree that reforms like the Montana plan are needed to help infuse greater trust and confidence in government, according to a 2025 YouGov poll. While the Citizens United decision has ushered in a new era of unlimited corporate spending, there’s still power that states have to curb this—something that Hawaii has already done.

Rep. Coffia said regarding the bill, “I have seen big insurance, utility monopolies, and other special interest groups wield staggering levels of influence over what bills are even allowed a committee hearing, regardless of which party is holding the gavel. This legislation is desperately needed and long overdue to refocus Michigan politics on serving everyday Michiganders, not corporate CEOs and their shareholders.”

Michiganders are sick and tired of the power that wealthy corporations wield in our elections. We need our elected officials to take action to hold themselves and the system they’re part of accountable, but we also can’t rely on these efforts alone. It will take a variety of ways—including the Mop Up Michigan ballot initiative this November—to solve this problem.

Justin Mendoza (he/him) is the executive director of Progress Michigan, a nonprofit communications advocacy and government watchdog organization.