Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson keeps a busy schedule. She wrote a book that came out this spring, The Purposeful Warrior, encouraging leadership during a time such as this.
But besides running the state’s elections, she’s also running for governor in 2026, and she’s just … running. Marathons, that is. When Lincoln Square Editor Susan J. Demas asked Benson if she'd cut back on running with her busy campaign schedule, she said she’s actually running three marathons this year.
And Benson joked that the stress of running for governor must have inspired her to be more intense in other parts of her life. She said she gets emotional before every race, wondering if she can finish, but always reminds herself that "one foot in front of the other" works every time.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Department of Justice just asked for Michigan’s voter rolls, as he’s done in other blue states like Minnesota, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Benson said Trump’s move was more political games to "increase the workload of election officials" and "create a sense of intimidation."
She’s confident in Michigan's election security, but she's concerned about the threats and lies that are pushing some election officials to leave their jobs. Still, she said she’s inspired by the citizens who are stepping up to defend democracy. Trump has threatened to arrest election officials, and Susan noted that makes her nervous as a mom, since her daughter, Angela Demas, is the Meridian Township Clerk in Michigan.
Benson has tangled with Trump about elections before — he targeted her in tweets during the 2020 election he lost. And after that loss, she had to contend with MAGA protestors yelling outside her house when she was decorating the Christmas tree with her young son.
Tune in to hear Benson’s thoughts about Trump’s tariffs and the economy, health care cuts and education. And let us know in the comments which 2026 candidates you’d like us to have on Lincoln Square soon.
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Rick's back to take your questions. You won't be surprised to learn that we got a ton of questions about the Epstein files. In fact, this story is becoming so primary, so massive, that even if a question isn't about the Epstein files, it's still about the Epstein files.
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