Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson defeated Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson on Tuesday in Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, clearing the way for her to defend term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s blue seat.
Benson defeated Swanson with 84.7% of the vote compared to Swanson’s 15.3%, according to the latest poll count from the Associated Press.
Benson now awaits the winner of the GOP gubernatorial primary, which saw Rep. John James (R-MI) leading Republican businessman Perry Johnson early on.
Benson is tasked with the difficult goal of breaking Michigan’s 65-year streak of Democratic candidates failing to win their general election bids to replace outgoing, term-limited Democratic governors. The state has not elected a Democrat to replace an outgoing Democratic governor since 1960, according to Sabato’s Crystal Ball. The election forecaster, however, ranks the state as “Leans Democratic.”
Benson ran her campaign on 2026’s campaign buzzword, affordability, offering voters her “Affordable Michigan agenda” focused on lowering costs on big-ticket items, including housing, healthcare, and childcare. Benson, backed by many state legislators throughout the Wolverine State, boasts over $6.4 million in the bank, per her July reporting numbers.
Swanson had run on what he called a “working class playbook,” also targeting political corruption in the state capitol as part of his agenda. He pinned Benson as the establishment candidate, writing on X ahead of the election, “the establishment has had its chance. It’s time for a different playbook.”
THE RACE TO REPLACE GRETCHEN WHITMER IN MICHIGAN
Benson and the Republican winner will now go head-to-head in the purple state’s general gubernatorial election in November, as former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan ditched his independent bid for the seat.
Eyes will be locked on Michigan to see whether Benson can break the incumbent gubernatorial party’s historic losing trend, or whether the Republican winner can eliminate Whitmer’s 10-percentage-point lead from her 2022 reelection victory.