Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson announced yesterday that she has chosen state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks as her running mate, teaming a Detroit-based secretary of state with a Grand Rapids legislator in a bid that would make Michigan history if the pair wins in November. The announcement came from Grand Rapids, putting Brinks front and center on her home turf as Benson works to shore up support in West Michigan.
As reported by WDIV ClickOnDetroit, Benson and Brinks would make history together if elected, giving Michigan its first female governor serving alongside a female lieutenant governor. Brinks has served in the Michigan Senate since 2019, according to the outlet, and currently holds the title of Senate Majority Leader. Because Benson lives in Detroit, pairing with a Grand Rapids-based running mate gives the ticket a built-in bridge to West Michigan voters, a dynamic that Bridge Michigan notes has become increasingly important as Kent County has turned into one of the state's more competitive swing areas.
A Legislative Résumé Built Over More Than a Decade
Brinks brings a long record in Lansing to the ticket. Per WKAR, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018, representing the 76th District before winning election to the state Senate in 2018, where she went on to become Michigan's first female Senate Majority Leader in 2023. That leadership post put her at the helm of the chamber during Michigan's Democratic legislative trifecta.
The Michigan AFL-CIO, which formally endorsed Benson back in June, commended the Brinks selection, pointing to her role leading the 2023 legislative repeal of Michigan's Right-to-Work law during her tenure as Senate Majority Leader. The union's statement underscores organized labor's continued backing of the Democratic ticket heading into the fall campaign.
Republicans Countered With Their Own Pick Days Earlier
On the other side of the race, WDIV ClickOnDetroit reports that John James announced Michigan Rep. Jay DeBoyer will run alongside him for lieutenant governor. James, for his part, would make history of his own if elected, becoming Michigan's first Black governor. DeBoyer currently chairs the Michigan House Oversight Committee, a panel that has frequently clashed with Democratic-led state executive agencies, and previously spent 12 years as St. Clair County Clerk before winning his House seat in 2022, according to Michigan Public.
DeBoyer's addition to the GOP ticket carries its own historical footnote. The Small Business Association of Michigan notes that his selection marks the first time since 1978 that the Michigan Republican Party will not include a woman on its statewide executive ticket, breaking with a nearly half-century pattern of gender-balanced statewide slates. Because DeBoyer is running for lieutenant governor, state election rules bar him from simultaneously seeking reelection to his 63rd House District seat, leaving local Republican leaders in Macomb and St. Clair counties to designate a replacement nominee.
Both Picks Still Need a Convention's Blessing
Neither running mate is fully locked in yet. Under Article V of the Michigan Constitution, candidates for lieutenant governor are formally nominated by party delegates at state nominating conventions rather than chosen outright in primary elections, according to Ballotpedia. Michigan is one of only four states that handles the office this way, meaning both the Benson-Brinks and James-DeBoyer pairings still face formal ratification at conventions scheduled for late August.
The race exists in the first place because term limits have closed the door on Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who cannot seek reelection under Michigan's constitutional cap of two four-year lifetime terms. Bridge Michigan has noted that no party has held the Michigan governor's office for more than two consecutive four-year terms in roughly 35 years, a pattern of alternation that adds extra weight to this fall's contest between Benson and James. The general election field itself narrowed earlier this year after former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan withdrew his independent bid for governor, a move detailed by research firm BGR Group that removed the threat of a three-way race.
Hoodline has tracked Benson's running-mate search for weeks, reporting in July that she was weighing three Lansing lawmakers before landing on Brinks. With both parties' tickets now set pending convention approval, Michigan voters are looking at a fall campaign that will pit an all-female Democratic slate against a Republican pairing notable for breaking with decades of gender-balanced tradition.
