Incumbent Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has defeated Republican challenger Kristina Karamo, winning 52.8% percent of the vote with 47% of expected votes in, according to NBC News.
Following her victory, Benson thanked voters at a Michigan Democrats election watch party at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve you for another four years,” Benson said. “In this election, democracy was on the ballot. Our right to vote was on the ballot. And tonight, democracy won here in Michigan….”
As Secretary of State, Benson has worked over the past four years to make the office more efficient and accessible. Currently, 60% of services at the Secretary of State office are now accessible online, up from 28% when Benson took office in 2018. She also helped create an online ballot-tracking tool for absentee ballots. She has defended the security of the 2020 presidential election, which saw record-breaking turnout in Michigan, against former President Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud.
In her acceptance speech, Benson said she would continue the fight towards ensuring a free and fair democracy in the state.
“Our work is not yet finished,” Benson said. “Conspiracy theorist election deniers … are not going away. They may refuse to acknowledge the true and accurate results of the elections, right here in Michigan and around the country (and) are trying to spread more lies and conspiracies to undermine the will of the people. So know this: I will not back down.”
Benson’s second term will begin Jan. 1, 2023.
Daily Staff Reporter Samantha Rich can be reached at sammrich@umich.edu.
Daily Staff Reporter Irena Li contributed to the reporting of this article.