(22 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lansing, Michigan – 22 January 2025
1. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson walks down the hallway toward the Bureau of Elections before stopping to speak to reporters
2. Various of signage that informs visitors as to the location of the Bureau of Elections offices
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jocelyn Benson, (D) Michigan gubernatorial candidate:
++FULLY COVERED++
“And that’s why today I announced also that I’ll be running for governor of Michigan, because I believe that our government should work well for every resident in our state.”
4. Elevated cutaway of Benson speaking with reporters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jocelyn Benson, (D) Michigan gubernatorial candidate:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“Well, it’s not lost on me that this week has been challenging for a lot of residents, whether it’s been folks who are afraid and worried about the future of our state, worried about their own safety, worried about their kids’ safety, worried about their community’s safety. My view as governor is that our job will be to stand up to anyone, anywhere, no matter how powerful, and make sure the residents of Michigan feel safe and protected in their homes, in their communities, in their schools and in their workplaces. So, this is a moment where we have to state very clearly who we are as Michiganders, as Democrats and as government officials and leaders in the Midwest and throughout the country.”
6. Cutaway of Benson
7. Various of the state seal on a Bureau of Elections window
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jocelyn Benson, (D) Michigan gubernatorial candidate:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“So, in the months ahead, we’ll talk more about some of those specific policies. But the bottom line is: I will be a governor whose work is defined by efficiency and transparency. And I’ll also be a governor that will work with anyone in a collaborative way to ensure we are investing in our people and making Michigan the best place to call home.”
9. Benson answers her final question and begins to walk away
STORYLINE:
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 battleground state.
Jocelyn Benson served as the state’s chief elections administrator in the 2020 and 2024 elections and is the first well-known candidate to enter the fray as a Democrat. She will have to appeal to voters seemingly disillusioned with Democrats who cast votes in November for President Donald Trump.
“I’ll be a governor that will work with anyone in a collaborative way to ensure we are investing in our people and making Michigan the best place to call home,” Benson told reporters Wednesday outside the Bureau of Elections offices in Lansing.
Whitmer, whose own statewide wins mirror Benson’s in 2018 and 2022, is term-limited and has said she does not plan to endorse anyone in the race to be her successor.
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.
Benson’s own reelection in 2022 was part of a wave of overwhelming Democratic wins in Michigan, including both chambers of the legislature, the governor’s office and the office of attorney general. The year also was notable for the number of women elected to the state legislature, legislative leadership and executive leadership. Three out of the four top executive offices in the state are led by women, including Benson.
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