Whitmer endorses Benson at post-primary celebration

Less than 24 hours after securing the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s next potential governor, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson rallied supporters to celebrate her landslide victory.

A few dozen backers joined her and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a campaign event in Lansing to applaud the win.

The rally opened with words from Kendal Essenmacher, a middle school social studies teacher in Ingham County. 

“These two ladies are two leaders that I trust to champion our education system,” she said.

Benson’s background as an educator makes her a good fit for the position, Essenmacher said. “I think we’re past time to have a teacher in the governor’s office.”

Whitmer followed, endorsing Benson and highlighting the victories of her administration, like free breakfast and free lunch for public school students, free community college, free pre-K, and the expansion of reproductive rights and protection for Michigan’s LGBTQ+ community.

“Michigan’s next governor needs to build on this progress,” the governor said. “Can you imagine if we go from one administration to another that continues the work instead of undoes it?”

Benson then took the stage, thanked the governor for her support, and acknowledged their first run for office together eight years ago, when “a lot of people thought it was impossible to see more than one woman leading our state.”

Both Whitmer and Benson slammed U.S. Rep. John James, the Republican nominee for governor, for his policy positions and voting record. “He voted, not once, not twice, but three times to raise healthcare costs for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders,” Benson said.

“He likes to talk tough in 30-second commercials,” Whitmer said. “But when he gets to Washington, he turns out to be just like every other Republican in D.C. with no backbone.”

When asked about bringing the party together for the election in November, Benson said to reporters, “I intend to be a unifyer, but I think if you actually listen to what we’re saying, we’re all saying the same thing.”