Jocelyn Benson defeats Chris Swanson for Democratic nomination in the race for Governor
![Michigan primary: Jocelyn Benson's acceptance speech [FULL]](https://static-media.fox.com/fmcv3/prod/fts/in3r8rfuq9f91436/ce0189yhzj1089vo.jpg)
Michigan primary: Jocelyn Benson's acceptance speech [FULL]
Jocelyn Benson accepted the Democratic nomination for Michigan governor on Tuesday. She was seen as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary, defeating opponent Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has been elected as the Democratic candidate for state governor, set to face the GOP nominee in the 2026 midterm election.
Big picture view:
Benson would defeat Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson to be the Dem nominee to possibly replace Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2027. She was also endorsed by Whitmer.
Jocelyn Benson has been Michigan’s Secretary of State for over seven years, when she won against Republican Mary Treder Lang in the 2018 midterms. She would then win a second term as SOS in 2022 against Republican candidate Kristina Karamo.
Michigan primary: Detroit mayor celebrates Benson's win
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield celebrated Jocelyn Benson's primary win on Tuesday. Benson won the Democratic primary for governor, saying she is the kind of leader Michigan deserves.
Michigan governor's race
What's next:
Benson now eyes the Governor’s mansion, going on to face the GOP nominee for Governor on Nov. 3, Rep. John James.
The race will also include third-party candidates, who were not on the primary ballot, including Libertarian candidate Anthony Hudson.
Photo: Anthony Hudson campaign
Hudson is a blue-collar truck driver fighting to restore "freedom, accountability, and common sense to state government." Running outside what he calls a corrupt two-party system, Hudson is focused on putting the people—not politicians and special interests—back in charge.
His vision for Michigan includes eliminating property taxes and the state income tax, protecting constitutional rights by ending government surveillance, banning Flock camera systems, and rejecting massive AI data centers that threaten local communities and individual privacy. Hudson believes government should serve the people, not control them, and is committed to smaller government, lower taxes, greater local control, and defending the freedoms of every Michiganian.
The Source: FOX 2 used information from previous reporting and the Associated Press.