(WXYZ) — Jocelyn Benson has won the Democratic nomination in the Michigan gubernatorial race, the Associated Press projects
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Watch Benson's acceptance speech in the video player below:
Benson has served the last two terms as Michigan’s secretary of state, and beat Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who was also running.
Benson will now face either John James or Perry Johnson in the general election this November to be Michigan’s next governor.
Watch below: Previous interview with Jocelyn Benson after announcing gubernatorial run
"As Secretary of State, I've worked hard to make sure our government works well for everyone. And now I want to make sure every agency works as well as ours and that we continue to make Michigan the best place to be a kid, or raise a kid, or call home," she said in an interview with 7 News Detroit.
Benson said because of her experience, she believes she is the best person for the job.
Benson graduated from Harvard Law School and eventually served as the dean of the Wayne State University Law School. She left the university to lead the Ross Initiative for Sports Equality.
In 2010, Benson published a book titled “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”
She ran for secretary of state in 2010 but lost to Ruth Johnson; she successfully won her race in 2018 and re-election in 2022.
During her time as secretary of state, Benson oversaw the elections in 2020 and 2022, which saw record-breaking turnout, and also worked to improve SOS services throughout the state.
Her office said she doubled the number of services that can be done online, installed 160 self-service stations across the state and more.
