MI Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on her Campaign for Governor, Election Integrity, and the Upcoming Midterms

MI Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on her Campaign for Governor, Election Integrity, and the Upcoming Midterms

July 18, 2026 · 49 min · Episode 531

About this episode

Jocelyn Benson discusses her campaign for governor, election integrity, and the upcoming midterms.

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State and is running for governor. She has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Her work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy. At 36 Jocelyn was appointed dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, becoming the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school, and continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. She is the author of the books “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”, and last year’s “The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High”. She is also a frequent tv news commentator. And she's back in The Back…

People in this episode

Host: Andy Ostroy

Guest: Jocelyn Benson

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wayne State University Law School, Levin Center at Wayne Law, John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, Presidential Citizens Medal

More episodes of The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Back Room with Andy Ostroy podcast page.