Jocelyn Benson talks about missing the FOX 2 Democrat Gubernatorial Debate

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:51:03 -0400

Jocelyn Benson declined to attend FOX 2's Democratic Gubernatorial Debate Thursday night, saying she had committed to another event.

The Secretary of State missed the debate moderated by FOX 2's Roop Raj, including fellow Democrat candidate Chris Swanson, for an educators' event in Detroit.

FOX 2 which alerted her campaign to the debate 65 days earlier, caught up Thursday evening at the Detroit Federation of Teachers event hosted by the IBEW Local 58 Hall.

FOX 2 caught up with the Secretary of State at a Detroit educators event Thursday night.

She explained that she has taken part in forums that she considers debates. She added she looks forward to advancing out of the primaries to debate the GOP representative in the future.

"You know, I love debates," she said. "That's why I've done three of them in this primary. We did one at MEA (Michigan Educators Association), we did one with UAW, we did a forum on gun violence. So we've had plenty of debates, plenty of conversations.

"And I look forward to having more of them this fall when we know who's going to be joining me on the other side of the primary."

FOX 2: "So those weren't forums?"

"Well, you can … they were live-streamed debates where we had an opportunity to take tough questions and answer tough questions, and I appreciate the opportunity to do that," she said. "I wish we could do every debate that was offered to us, but we'll certainly be doing more this fall."

FOX 2 hosted the Democratic Gubernatorial Debate before a studio audience.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson was in attendance. If Benson changed her mind, a chair was left open.

We tackled questions about data centers in Michigan, the state of education and looking at outgoing Governor Gretchen Whitmer's policies. What were her accomplishments – and where she fell short.

We also took questions from our online audience and those in attendance.

Swanson faced questions about protecting seniors from elder abuse, energy costs, fixing the roads, and more.

Watch the event below:

Latest Elections 2026 News | FOX 2 Detroit

Jocelyn Benson talks about missing the FOX 2 Democrat Gubernatorial Debate