Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won the race for governor in Michigan on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, keeping in Democratic hands an office that has an important role in certifying the closely divided state’s presidential election results.
Ms. Benson, 49, will take over in January from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who was barred by term limits from running again, and who built a national profile during eight years in Lansing. Ms. Benson defeated Representative John James, a Republican from suburban Detroit who had lost two previous statewide campaigns.
Both candidates made an anti-incumbent case to an electorate frustrated by the high cost of living and rising prices.
While Mr. James blamed the Democrats in state government, Ms. Benson criticized President Trump’s policies, including tariffs targeting Canada that have had an outsized effect on Michigan’s auto industry. She pledged to seek “sub-national” agreements with Canada, which borders Michigan, if elected.
“At a time where it feels like, at the federal level, government is showing up everywhere we don’t want it and nowhere where we actually need it, I will make sure that government is showing up for you and doing right by you,” Ms. Benson said in a recent debate hosted by WDIV-TV.
Ms. Benson, a former law school dean who served two terms as Michigan’s chief elections officer, became a target of right-wing activists in 2020 when she presided over Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in the state over Mr. Trump. Ms. Benson defended the results against unproven claims of widespread fraud. After Mr. Trump returned to office, she fought his administration’s efforts to obtain private voter data.
Michigan’s governor signs a document certifying the state’s presidential electors, a role that could again become important if the results of a future presidential race are contested. Mr. Trump carried the state in 2016 and 2024, while Mr. Biden won it in 2020.
Ms. Benson will become the first Democratic governor of Michigan to succeed a fellow Democrat since the 1960s. She will also be the third woman to serve as the state’s leader.
The governor’s race had initially been expected to be a three-way contest including Mike Duggan, a former mayor of Detroit and longtime Democrat who was running as an independent. Though he received significant endorsements and had competitive polling numbers, Mr. Duggan dropped out of the race in May, saying he did not want to be a spoiler. His decision to withdraw was widely seen as a boost for Democrats.
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