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Jocelyn Benson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jocelyn Benson
Benson in 2019
43rd Secretary of State of Michigan
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
GovernorGretchen Whitmer
DeputyAghogho Edevbie
Preceded byRuth Johnson
Dean of the Wayne State University Law School
In office
December 2012 – September 2016
Preceded byRobert Ackerman
Succeeded byRichard Bierschbach
Personal details
Born (1977-10-22) October 22, 1977 (age 47)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRyan Friedrichs
Children1
EducationWellesley College (BA)
Magdalen College, Oxford (MPhil)
Harvard University (JD)
AwardsPresidential Citizens Medal
WebsiteGovernment website

Jocelyn Benson (born October 22, 1977) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 43rd secretary of state of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the former dean of Wayne State University Law School.

In 2018, Benson was elected as the Secretary of State in Michigan, securing the position with an 8.9 percentage point margin over Republican Mary Treder Lang. This victory made her the first Democrat to hold the office since 1995. She was reelected in 2022, defeating Republican Kristina Karamo by a margin of 14 percentage points, setting a record for the largest margin and vote share among statewide candidates that year.

Benson is a candidate for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election, having announced her campaign in January 2025.

Education and career

[edit]

Benson was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] She graduated from Wellesley College in 1999. She subsequently earned her master's in sociology as a Marshall Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford.[2]

After college, Benson moved from Massachusetts to Montgomery, Alabama, to work for the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she investigated hate groups and hate crimes.[3] Benson also worked as a legal assistant to Nina Totenberg at National Public Radio.[4]

Benson received her JD from Harvard Law School, where she was a general editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.[5][6] From 2002 to 2004, she was the voting rights policy coordinator of the Civil Rights Project.[6]

Upon graduation from law school, Benson moved to Detroit to serve as a law clerk to Damon Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.[7][8]

Wayne Law

[edit]

Benson became a member of the Wayne State University Law School faculty in 2005.[9]

In 2010, Benson published a book, State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process.[10]

In 2012, at the age of 36, Benson was appointed dean of Wayne Law, becoming the youngest woman ever to lead an accredited law school.[9]

Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality

[edit]

In 2016, Benson stepped down as dean of Wayne Law in order to become CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, a New York-based group funded by Stephen M. Ross.[9] She served in this position until 2018. During her time as CEO, she drew a $300,000 annual salary while running for office in the 2018 Michigan Secretary of State election.[11]

Secretary of State

[edit]
Benson receives the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Joe Biden in January 2023.

Elections

[edit]

In 2010, while a faculty member at Wayne Law, Benson mounted her first campaign for Michigan Secretary of State.[12] She lost to Republican candidate Ruth Johnson by a margin of 51 percent to 45 percent.[13]

On October 27, 2017, Benson announced her second candidacy for Michigan Secretary of State. She was elected on November 6, 2018, defeating Republican Mary Treder Lang, becoming the first Democrat to serve since Richard Austin left office in 1995.[14] In 2022, Benson secured her party's nomination uncontested and went on to win the general election with 56% of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Kristina Karamo.[15][16]

Tenure

[edit]

In 2018, Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing Election Day voter registration and unrestricted absentee ballots. Benson's office oversaw the implementation of these changes.[17] In 2019, the Election Modernization Advisory Committee was established.[18] The same year, Benson established an Election Security Commission[19] and a Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force.[20]

In October 2019, Benson was named in a lawsuit filed by Priorities USA Action, a Democratic group, over the elimination of absentee votes due to disparities between a voter's signature and other filed documents with election officials. In November, the group targeted her in a lawsuit challenging the state's automatic registration law and alleging undue burdens on young voters' constitutional rights.[21] In March 2021, Michigan's Court of Claims ruled against Benson, saying that although the instructions' content did not breach election law, she had not followed the appropriate procedural measures while providing guidance to clerks on verifying signatures on absentee ballots.[22]

In 2020, Benson's office mailed absentee voter applications to all 7.7 million Michigan registered voters for the August primary and November general election. Benson's effort was funded by $4.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funding from the CARES Act.[23] Some Republican lawmakers criticized the move, saying it could endanger election security by leaving more room for voter fraud.[24] Benson's predecessor, Ruth Johnson, criticized her for using COVID-19 relief funds to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters.[25][26]

As President Trump voiced concerns about potential election fraud associated with absentee voting, his criticism particularly targeted Benson's mailing effort. He called Benson a "rogue Secretary of State"[27] and initially threatened to withhold federal funds for coronavirus relief, but later retracted his threat.[28][17] Court rulings affirmed Benson's legal authority to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in Michigan in 2020, while the state auditor discredited Republican claims of fraudulent ballots from deceased voters.[29] On December 7, 2020, reportedly armed pro-Trump demonstrators gathered outside Benson's home, echoing Trump's election fraud claims. The demonstrators chanted and made threatening demands to overturn Michigan's election results, linking the incident to broader efforts by Trump and his legal team to challenge the election outcome. No arrests were made and police confirmed that there were no breaches of criminal law throughout the demonstration.[30][31]

In January 2020, a 72-year-old man was arrested after evidence was found in his home related to violent threats he directed at Benson.[32] In December 2022, Benson said that threats from election deniers that started in 2020 had not ceased.[33] In May 2023, she claimed in an interview that after the election, Trump suggested she be tried for treason and possibly executed, an accusation he denied.[34]

In June 2020, Benson initiated a platform enabling registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot online, using their state ID and last four digits of their Social Security numbers. Voters were also allowed to submit a scanned, signed copy of their absentee ballot application via email.[35] Benson also played a role in developing an online ballot-tracking tool for absentee ballots.[36]

Benson said that the attempts to delegitimize the 2020 election ultimately resulted in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[37]

In March 2021, State Court of Claims Judge Christopher M. Murray ruled that Benson's guidance issued to Michigan clerks prior to the 2020 election, instructing them to presume the accuracy of absentee ballot signatures, was invalid because it had not gone through the proper rule-making process.[38][39]

Referencing Michigan's 2015 ranking as the lowest in the U.S. for ethics and transparency, Benson has advocated for ethics reforms and called for increased transparency in the state's government in the wake of various scandals.[40] In March 2021, Benson introduced a legislative agenda called "From Worst to First" which included proposed measures such as expanding the Freedom of Information Act to cover the governor and legislature, requiring personal financial disclosures from elected officials, demanding more frequent campaign disclosures, and tightening campaign finance regulations.[41] In 2023, she criticized inaction from legislators, describing the state's lobbying and campaign finance laws as "far, far behind" other states.[42]

In April 2021, Benson announced that Michigan residents who visit secretary of state offices would always need an appointment.[43] That same year, she said 60% of transactions were being done virtually.[44] Despite criticisms calling for the reintroduction of walk-in services, Benson defended retaining the system even after the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the appointment only system is "not perfect" but is better than residents having to potentially wait hours in line.[45][46]

In 2022, Benson was named as one of five recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.[47]

In September 2022, the Election Integrity Force and others sued Benson and Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, in a bid to decertify the 2020 election.[48]

On January 6, 2023, Benson was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden.[49]

In July 2023, she confirmed that federal prosecutors interviewed her for "several hours" in March as part of the ongoing criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. While not divulging specific details, Benson highlighted the investigators' focus on the impact of misinformation on election workers' lives and threats.[50]

In October 2023, a 60-year-old man from Detroit was sentenced to 15 months of probation after threatening to kill Benson and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.[51]

In a 2023 opinion piece for The Washington Post, Benson argued that secretaries of state, including herself, shouldn't unilaterally decide Trump's eligibility to serve as President under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and emphasized that the courts, particularly the Supreme Court, are the appropriate forums for such determinations.[52][53] In November 2023, Trump's legal team sued to prevent Benson from excluding him in Michigan's 2024 elections. The lawsuit argues Benson lacks authority to disqualify him under the 14th Amendment, seeking an injunction against barring him from the ballot. Despite Trump's request for confirmation, Benson's reported silence adds uncertainty. The dispute traces back to a Free Speech for People lawsuit, asserting Trump's Capitol riot involvement violates Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.[54]

In advance of the 2024 presidential election, Benson, along with other Democrats, participated in the Democracy Playbook, a set of recommendations by the NewDEAL Forum to improve the election system.[55] Benson supports stricter penalties against those who harass election workers and increased funding for election administration.[56]

Benson was viewed as a potential contender for the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Michigan to succeed retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow.[57] In March 2023, Benson announced that she would not enter the race. In January 2025, on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, she announced her candidacy for Michigan governor in the 2026 race to succeed incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited and ineligible to run again.[58][59]

Personal life

[edit]

Benson is married to Ryan Friedrichs, who is a lobbyist for Related Companies, a New York-based real estate firm owned by billionaire Stephen M. Ross.[60]

In 2016, Benson became one of a handful of women in history to complete the Boston Marathon while more than eight months pregnant.[61]

Electoral history

[edit]
2010 Michigan Secretary of State election[62]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Ruth Johnson 1,608,270 50.68% −5.55%
Democratic Jocelyn Benson 1,434,796 45.22% +3.26%
Libertarian Scotty Boman 58,044 1.83% N/A
Constitution Robert Gale 41,727 1.17% N/A
Green John A. La Pietra 30,411 0.96% −0.93%
Total votes 3,173,248 100.0% N/A
Republican hold
2018 Michigan Secretary of State election[63]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jocelyn Benson 2,203,611 52.87% +9.93%
Republican Mary Treder Lang 1,833,609 44.00% −9.53%
Libertarian Gregory Stempfle 81,697 1.96% −0.02%
Constitution Robert Gale 48,724 1.17% +0.05%
Total votes 4,162,389 100.0% N/A
Democratic gain from Republican
2022 Michigan Secretary of State election[64]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jocelyn Benson (incumbent) 2,467,859 55.86% +2.96%
Republican Kristina Karamo 1,852,510 41.93% −2.05%
Libertarian Gregory Scott Stempfle 52,982 1.20% −0.76%
Constitution Christine Schwartz 27,937 0.63% −0.54%
Green Larry James Hutchinson Jr. 16,615 0.38% N/A
Total votes 4,417,903 100.0% N/A
Democratic hold

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Gongwer News Service-Michigan".
  2. ^ a b King, Kurt Anthony (October 15, 2012). "Coming to the aid". legalnews.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  3. ^ Barnett, Lana (August 19, 2021). "The battle for the ballot box". Harvard Law School. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  4. ^ "Wayne State Names New Dean of Law School - DBusiness Magazine". Dbusiness.com. June 12, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Archive". Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Wayne State University Law School Bio for Jocelyn F. Benson". Law.wayne.edu. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Wayne State University (July 23, 2019). "Wayne Law remembers Judge Damon J. Keith - Law School - Wayne State University". Law.wayne.edu. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  8. ^ "Jocelyn Benson - Michigan Women Forward". Miwf.org. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Jesse, David (September 6, 2016). "Jocelyn Benson to step down as dean of Wayne State Law School". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  10. ^ Benson, Jocelyn F. (February 28, 2013). State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4094-9699-1.
  11. ^ "Benson drew salary from RISE while seeking office". Crain's Detroit Business. March 17, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Stanton, Ryan J. (September 17, 2010). "Secretary of state candidate Jocelyn Benson calls on help from University of Michigan students". The Ann Arbor News. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Wisely, John. "Jocelyn Benson wins race for Michigan Secretary of State". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018". mielections.us. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  15. ^ "Jocelyn Benson faces Kristina Karamo in Michigan secretary of state race: What to know". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "Jocelyn Benson beats Kristina Karamo in Michigan's Secretary of State race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Jocelyn Benson beats Kristina Karamo in Michigan's Secretary of State race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  18. ^ Dunaj, Mikhayla (December 25, 2020). "No-reason absentee voting in Michigan: How it worked, how it can be improved". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Manes, Nick (March 21, 2019). "Benson forms election security commission". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  20. ^ Donahue, Allison R. (March 7, 2020). "Young people gear up for the 2020 election, whether they can vote or not". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  21. ^ LeBlanc, Beth. "Dem group files third voting rights lawsuit, this one targeting Benson". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  22. ^ "Michigan Appeals Court rules that secretary of state improperly set limits for poll challengers". Votebeat. October 25, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  23. ^ Beggin, Riley. "Jocelyn Benson orders Michigan to mail absentee applications to all voters | Bridge Michigan". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  24. ^ Gibbons, Lauren (July 20, 2022). "Michigan absentee applications nearly double from 2018: 1.2 million so far | Bridge Michigan". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  25. ^ Burke, Beth LeBlanc and Melissa Nann. "All state registered voters to be mailed Aug., Nov. absentee ballot applications". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  26. ^ "Michigan mails absentee ballot applications to all voters". AP News. May 19, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  27. ^ Beggin, Riley. "Michigan GOP lawmakers claim Jocelyn Benson's absentee ballot mailings illegal | Bridge Michigan". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  28. ^ Gray, Kathleen (July 12, 2020). "Trump vs. the Women Who Lead Michigan: A Battle With 2020 Implications". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  29. ^ Mauger, Craig. "New Michigan audit debunks dead voter theory in 2020 election". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  30. ^ "Jocelyn Benson: Armed protesters flock to Michigan official's home". BBC News. December 7, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  31. ^ Grayer, Annie; Andrew, Scottie (December 7, 2020). "Michigan secretary of state says armed protesters gathered outside her home, claiming voter fraud". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  32. ^ Ramirez, Charles E. "Man, 72, arrested for making threats against Michigan's secretary of state". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  33. ^ "Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson still facing threats stemming from 2020 election — "The Takeout"". CBS. December 2, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  34. ^ McFadden, Cynthia; Monahan, Kevin; Chaidez, Alexandra (May 19, 2022). "Michigan election chief: Trump suggested I be arrested for treason and executed". CNBC. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  35. ^ Beggin, Riley. "Michigan GOP lawmakers claim Jocelyn Benson's absentee ballot mailings illegal | Bridge Michigan". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  36. ^ Rich, Samantha (November 9, 2022). "Jocelyn Benson wins re-election bid as Michigan Secretary of State". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  37. ^ Weykamp, George (September 14, 2021). "Jocelyn Benson speaks at UMich Law School about voter rights". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  38. ^ "Judge rules Secretary of State Benson's Ballot signature verification invalid - 03/15/2021". thedetroitnews.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  39. ^ "Fact Checks". michigan.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  40. ^ Nichols, Anna Liz (June 22, 2023). "Benson asks Legislature to make Michigan 'worst to first' for government transparency ⋆ Michigan Advance". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  41. ^ Hendrickson, Clara. "Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson unveils plan to improve government transparency". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  42. ^ Robinson, Samuel (May 5, 2023). "Benson calls for transparency reforms — will Democrats listen?". Axios.
  43. ^ "Appointment-only visits to secretary of state here to stay". AP News. April 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  44. ^ Rahal, Sarah. "Benson says 60% of SOS transactions are done without visiting branch offices". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  45. ^ Eggert, David (May 30, 2021). "Benson defends appointment system amid legislative scrutiny". WWMT. The Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  46. ^ "Benson defends appointment system amid legislative scrutiny". AP News. May 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  47. ^ Egan, Paul. ""Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson honored with JFK Profile in Courage award"". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  48. ^ Berzon, Alexandra; Bensinger, Ken (November 8, 2022). "Fueled by Falsehoods, a Michigan Group Is Ready to Challenge the Vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  49. ^ "'A true leader,' Michigan SOS Jocelyn Benson receives presidential medal". January 6, 2023.
  50. ^ Cohen, Zachary (July 12, 2023). "Federal prosecutors interviewed Michigan secretary of state in special counsel's election interference probe | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  51. ^ "Detroit man who threatened to kill Whitmer, Benson sentenced to 15 months probation". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  52. ^ Benson, Jocelyn (September 13, 2023). "Opinion It's not up to secretaries of state like me to keep Trump off the ballot". The Washington Post.
  53. ^ "SOS Benson says Trump will be on Michigan ballot unless court rules otherwise". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  54. ^ Irwin, Lauren (November 1, 2023). "Trump sues over efforts to keep him off Michigan ballot". The Hill. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  55. ^ Coleman, Ken (February 20, 2023). "Benson works on national voting reforms, including big penalties for threatening election workers". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  56. ^ Gibbons, Lauren (January 17, 2023). "Jocelyn Benson wants tougher penalties for harassing election workers". Bridge Michigan.
  57. ^ Manchester, Julia (January 8, 2023). "Stabenow retirement scrambles calculus for Michigan Democrats". The Hill. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  58. ^ Burke, Melissa. "Jocelyn Benson won't run for U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2024". Detroit News. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  59. ^ Glueck, Katie (January 22, 2025). "Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's Secretary of State, Is Running for Governor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  60. ^ Mauger, Craig (July 8, 2022). "Secretary of State Benson's husband registered to lobby for billionaire's company". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  61. ^ "Wayne Law Dean Completes Boston Marathon While Pregnant". Detroit News. April 18, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  62. ^ "2010 Official Michigan General Election Results - Secretary of State 4 Year Term (1) Position". Department of State. Michigan. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011.
  63. ^ "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018".
  64. ^ "2022 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Election Results.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jocelyn Benson.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Michigan Secretary of State
2010 		Succeeded by
Godfrey Dillard
Preceded by
Godfrey Dillard
 Democratic nominee for Michigan Secretary of State
2018, 2022 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Michigan
2019–present 		Incumbent
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