Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday night, advancing to the general election as she seeks to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The Associated Press called the race for Benson at 9 p.m., projecting her win over Democratic rival Chris Swanson. With about 16% of the estimated votes counted, Benson led with nearly 85% of the Democratic primary vote.
Primary Campaign
Benson’s primary campaign focused primarily on kitchen-table issues, with a refrain of “costs down, wages up, rights protected.” She also touted her competence leading the Michigan Department of State, suggesting she could apply efficiency reforms to the whole of state government.
Lucas Moquin, a 33-year-old Alpena restaurant worker, voted for Benson because she’d done well as secretary of state and he’d “like to see what she can do if she gets in as governor.” Similarly, 74-year-old Toni Smith-Holmes said she thinks Benson will do “a really great job for Michigan.”
General Election
Benson will face the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary between US Rep. John James and businessman Perry Johnson in the Nov. 3 general election.
Benson heads to the general election looking to upend history: It’s been about 35 years since the same party held onto the Michigan governor’s office for more than two terms, something she is attempting to do by succeeding Whitmer, a fellow Democrat.
Original reporting: BridgeDetroit — read the source article.
