Just two days after the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, the campaign to replace failed Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the state of Michigan has officially begun. However, to those watching the political scene in this state, it was no surprise that the current Secretary of State threw her hat in the ring for the contest, which will take place in November 2026.
Jocelyn Benson made the announcement this morning, which was properly covered HERE…
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democratic former law school dean who presided over two presidential campaigns in battleground Michigan, is launching a campaign Wednesday to become the state’s next governor.
In an interview with The Detroit News, Benson said she wanted to be known as “the governor who prioritizes transparency and efficiency.” The 47-year-old Detroit native is expected to face a tough race for the Democratic nomination and tough competition in the 2026 general election. Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot run again because of term limits.
Benson officially launches her bid for Michigan’s highest political office on the 52nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which until then had protected access to abortion nationally it was repealed on June 24, 2022. Benson promised to be a governor who supports abortion rights.
I’ll give her the edge in the blue state of Michigan right now, as she’s run in two consecutive state races and won the SOS office quite comfortably in 2018 and 2022.
I know I’m going to face pushback and pushback from people who believe Michigan is somehow a red state because Donald Trump won here in November and believe the tide has turned.
Let me explain to you why this is complete nonsense.
Donald Trump won the state 2016 by just over 11,000 votes, 47.6 percent to 47.4 percent, and in 2024 by 80,000, or 49.7 percent, to 48.3, which of course were historic victories. That’s not because they were overwhelming victories by any measure, but because Michigan is a very blue state, and has been for two decades and three.
The Michigan Republican Party and its followers are screaming from the mountaintops to anyone who will listen that the force known as Donald Trump has somehow single-handedly turned the tide in the state of Michigan, turning it into a red or, at best, purple state.
But history shows a different story from a long-term perspective.
We did NOT elect a conservative governor here since John Engler in 1998. Rick Snyder, who won as a Republican, was adorable as a GOPer, but as the kids on social media like to scream, he was RINO, and he actually was.
On the US Senate side, we had a close race here in 2024 with Republican Mike Rogers (the Was endorsed by President Trump) lost to Elissa Slotkin 19,006or 48.6 percent to 48.3 percent, which was really close. However, since Rogers wasn’t Donald Trump, he ended up losing.
This apparently happens a lot here with statewide Republicans who aren’t named Trump.
This aforementioned contest continued a 30-year streak of Republicans not winning a federal Senate seat in the state since 1994 with the election of Spencer Abraham, who was ultimately defeated in 2000 by the now-retired Debbie Stabenow.
The Michigan Republican Party and its leadership itself have been dismal for most of the time this trend has been taking place. That’s not to say that some people in the political and consulting industries don’t make some money, but the actual results of statewide victories don’t really matter to them.
In fact, the party had to give up its leader last year and replace her with Pete Hoekstra, whom Donald Trump had just appointed as the novel ambassador to Canada.
So unless the majority of the people running the state party are actually, first and foremost, competent conservatives and are familiar with running a statewide party, I can’t imagine the Michigan Republicans putting up a good, solid fight for Republican victory across the state.
To be fair, it will be a while before the GOP selects a candidate to face Benson, and she actually needs to win the Democratic nomination.
But as I sit here today, looking at the glory of the Trump presidency just a few hours antique, I admit that there is still a lot that needs to happen before Michigan’s November 2026 lineup is finalized. The state party conference will take place next Month to select a novel leader to replace Ambassador Hoekstra, and once that happens, they will begin laying the groundwork for the 2026 election.
I have high hopes.
However, Michigan’s history has not been kind to defeating Democrats and will likely repeat itself here.
