HomePoliticsMichigan's Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is making a bid for...

Michigan’s Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is making a bid for governor

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Democratic secretary of state announced Wednesday that she is running to succeed Gretchen Whitmer as governor in 2026, as the party tries to find its footing after November’s significant losses in the state standing on the battlefield.

Jocelyn Benson served as the state’s chief elections administrator in the 2020 and 2024 elections and is the first known candidate to run as a Democrat. She will have to appeal to voters apparently disillusioned with Democrats who voted for President Donald Trump in November.

Whitmer, whose own statewide victories mirrored Benson’s in 2018 and 2022, is term-limited and has said she does not plan to endorse anyone in the race to become her successor.

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Benson gained national recognition for defending the results of the 2020 election when they were repeatedly questioned by Trump and his allies after he lost the state to Joe Biden.

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“Some people didn’t like that very much,” she said in a campaign video shared with The Associated Press before it was publicly released. The video then showed news footage of protesters at her home in December 2020 angry about what they falsely claimed was voter fraud that led to Trump’s loss.

Benson’s own re-election in 2022 was part of a wave of landslide Democratic victories in Michigan, including both chambers of the Legislature, the governor’s office and the attorney general’s office. That streak was broken in November when Trump won the state and Republicans regained the House of Representatives.

In her time as secretary, Benson has focused on educating the public about Michigan’s voting process, expanding voter access and implementing a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2022 that established an early voting period. Before running for statewide office, Benson was an election law attorney and led the Wayne State University Law School.

The gubernatorial platform she announced focuses on her leadership as secretary and her goals to improve education and lower the cost of living to retain Michigan residents. She vowed to stand up to “powerful interests,” including Trump and Elon Musk, with whom Benson has previously spat over election misinformation. Musk donated $200 million last fall to a super PAC focused on organizing support for Trump, and has since forged a strong alliance with the president.

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Benson is the first high-profile Democrat to make a bid for governor. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, threw a spanner in the works when he announced last month that he is running for office as an independent.

Benson has criticized his decision, saying he let the party down instead of meeting the challenges.

“For me, it’s important that in moments like this we don’t run away from the party, but stay and solve it,” Benson said during a television interview last month.

Duggan’s move also exempts him from a competitive primary among Democrats considering a run. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who moved to Traverse City, Michigan, shortly after his failed 2020 presidential bid, has received calls from Michigan Democrats urging him to throw his name in.

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is also considering a run, as is Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, the Flint-area sheriff who gained notoriety after marching with a crowd of protesters following the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers.

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Across the aisle, the top Republican in the Senate, Aric Nesbitt, announced a campaign for governor last week. He expressed support for Trump and criticized inaction in Lansing. Democrats passed a wave of progressive legislation after gaining full control of the state government in 2022, but held fewer legislative sessions and saw legislation stall in 2024.

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The Associated Press Women in the Workforce and State Government Coverage receives funding from Pivotal Ventures. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s Standards for Working with Charities, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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