On Wednesday, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Michigan declared her intention to run for governor.
In order to genuinely make government work for everyone, I’m running for governor. We require leaders who are open and responsible. Benson says in a video that goes with the launch of her campaign, “We need our schools and neighborhoods to be safe for all of us.”
As she talks about her experiences as secretary of state, dean of Wayne State University Law School, and co-founder of Military Spouses of Michigan, the video focuses on Benson’s background.
Benson is the first majorcandidate to jump into the 2026 Democratic primary for governor. In order to avoid the Democratic primary, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan formed an independent campaign last month.
Even though Duggan chose a different route, Benson might have a difficult primary. Other Democrats have also been mentioned as potential candidates to replace term-limited Governor Gretchen Whitmer, including state Senator Mallory McMorrow, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.
Last week, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt entered the campaign on the Republican side.
The race for governor of Michigan is already anticipated to be one of the most followed in the nation next year, nearly two years before Election Day. Though Whitmer and Benson won statewide in 2018 and 2022, President Donald Trump won the state in 2016 and 2024, cementing Michigan’s reputation as one of the most tightly divided battlegrounds in the United States.
Benson’s introduction video highlights her efforts following the 2020 presidential election, when she fought back against Trump supporters who falsely accused her of permitting election fraud and made unfounded assertions that Trump had won the state.
Armed pro-Trump demonstrators gathered outside Benson’s house in the weeks following the election, demanding that she declare the election in Trump’s favor. Joe Biden carried the state by 2.8 percentage points that year.
In order to ensure that government is effective and transparent, that every lawful vote is counted in every election, regardless of the result, and that every voice is heard, I ran for secretary of state. Now, some people didn t like that very much, Benson says in the video, which includes local news clips of the protesters outside her home.
Later in the video, Benson shows pictures of Trump and tech tycoon Elon Musk and declares, “I’ve spent my life standing up to powerful interests, and I’ll keep standing up to any bullies or billionaires who try to deceive us, divide us, take away our rights, or deny anyone the opportunity to get a fair shot.”