The moment we deserved to see – maybe even needed to see – didn't occur until just after Jocelyn Benson and John James finished trying to gut each other in their second, and final, televised gubernatorial debate.
As they came together for the perfunctory handshake, a witness said Benson told James they should go to lunch.
James welcomed the invitation.
Then the erstwhile combatants spent a few moments discussing – not debating – whether they had the same coney island in mind.
You had to be there to see it, which is a damn shame, because instead we got an hour of one-upsmanship during the otherwise well-staged and on-point debate Thursday, Oct. 15 at WDIV-TV (Channel 4) in downtown Detroit.
The blame for subjecting Michiganders to yet another rhetorical
slap fight while the cameras were rolling falls squarely on the candidates.
Benson, the Democratic Secretary of State from Detroit, tried to portray combat veteran James, as a spineless stooge for President Donald Trump.
James, the Republican congressman from Shelby Township, tried to blame former teacher and law school dean Benson for Michigan falling behind all but a half dozen states in economic and educational measures.
That human moment we didn't get to witness was even more noteworthy because, a mere 10 minutes earlier, moderator Jason Colthorp offered the candidates a rare opportunity to mention just one of their opponent's policies they liked – and might even consider enacting, if they are elected on Nov. 3.
James instead said he could work with Democrats, adding: "We're all on the same team."
Benson instead said she could work with Republicans, adding: "No one party has all the right answers."
Yet, neither offered even a fleeting kind word for the other.
A bemused Colthorp, who sees this kind of thing on a regular basis as host of WDIV's Sunday public affairs show "Flashpoint," noted: "OK. You don't like either's policies. Got it."
There's no debate that Benson and James disagree on almost everything.
James blames Benson for rising utility rates after Democrats passed legislation requiring Michigan utilities to shift from using fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
Benson blames James for rising health care costs after he voted for Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which cutback federal subsidies for health care.
Benson said James has profited from investments in data centers.
James said Benson has profited because her husband works for a developer building a data center in Saline.
James wants to eliminate Michigan's income tax.
Benson wants to eliminate loopholes for special interests and offer tax cuts to first-time homebuyers and caregivers for children and the elderly.
Benson said James' support for Trump's tariffs and the war in Iran has cost Michigan families thousands of dollars.
James said Benson's support for Democrats in Lansing has bloated the state's budget while forcing young people to move out of state for more opportunities.
Even on the one issue they both said they support – suspending the state and federal taxes on gas – each disagreed how sincere their opponent is, and whether they passed on opportunities to make it happen.
I arrived at WDIV wondering whether one candidate would deliver a sick burn that left the other speechless, or make a gaffe that could go viral, or create a moment that would cause an uncommitted voter to jump out of their chair and say: "Eureka! Now that's what I've been waiting to hear!"
If you believe the polls – Pro tip: Don't bet the rent on whoever is leading in anything but the poll taken on election day and based purely on votes cast – Benson leads James.
Candidates trailing often try to stage an "Ah-ha!" moment, but James generally maintained the same steady demeanor and made the same points he did during last week's debate at WOOD-TV (Channel 8 in Grand Rapids).
While polls show Trump's historically-low approval rating seemingly sinking by the day, it seemed Benson didn't spend as much time this time hammering James for his support of Trump.
That didn't stop James from trying to put more distance between himself and Trump during a post-debate Q&A with reporters, however.
Whereas during the the Republican primary, before Trump endorsed him, James had nothing but praise for the president, the congressman noted on a couple occasions during the debate that he called a few weeks ago for an end to Trump's war in Iran. And he said he has asked the administration to lighten up on the crushing tariffs Trump imposed on Canada, which is Michigan's largest trading partner.
James also told reporters that Trump will be gone in two years, so Michiganders shouldn't vote for Benson just because they hate the president.
He said of Benson: "Her entire platform is 'Orange Man bad.'"
Then James accused Benson of running against Trump instead of him.
Not to be outdone in her post-debate Q&A with reporters, Benson accused James of failing to understand how Lansing works by blaming her for policies passed by lawmakers, when as Secretary of State she is responsible for overseeing an agency that handles vehicle registrations, driver licenses, campaign finance and other administrative tasks.
"Sometimes he can get confused about who he's running against," she said.
In the end, it turns out the two qualities the candidates share is relentless ambition and an apparent lack of irony.
I just wish that instead of watching them try to burn each other down, we could sit in a booth at a coney island as they answered Colthorp's question about which policies they both liked – and searched for other ways to move our Great State forward, while dialing down the political rhetoric that holds us back.
M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter, director of student investigative reporting program Eye On Michigan, and host of the ML's Soul of Detroit podcast. Contact him at mlelrick@freepress.com or follow him on Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Governor's debate ends with moment we deserved to see, but missed
