Democrat Jocelyn Benson will be Michigan’s next governor, NBC News projects, succeeding term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer to extend the party’s control for four more years.
\n\nBenson, who is Michigan’s secretary of state, defeated Republican Rep. John James, who now finds himself without an elected office. It’s the first time since the 1960s that a Democrat will succeed a Democratic governor.
\n\nBenson won as Michigan Democrats seek state legislative majorities to go with the governorship. The Democratic Party holds the state Senate but not the state House. Democrats would have to net four House seats and hold the Senate to secure full control of the state government.
\n\nDemocrats are also working to defend retiring Sen. Gary Peters’ seat, as Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers battle in a race that has drawn national attention. Donald Trump carried the state by a little over 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election.
\n\nBenson, Michigan’s secretary of state since 2019, gained national prominence as the chief election officer for the battleground state as Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
\n\nBenson is an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School and taught law at Wayne State University, where…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports