A Highland Park activist has filed separate complaints accusing Michigan gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and secretary of state nominee Garlin Gilchrist II of violating state campaign finance law by using state government security details and vehicles while campaigning, then failing to reimburse taxpayers for that use.
Robert Davis filed the complaints with the Secretary of State's office last month, according to Deadline Detroit, which first reported the filings. Because the Secretary of State's office oversees election law and Benson herself holds that office, her chief legal director, Khyla D. Craine, referred the complaint against Benson to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. In a letter cited by Deadline Detroit, Craine wrote that the Michigan Campaign Finance Act requires referral to the attorney general when a violation involves the secretary of state or a connected campaign or committee. Nessel will now determine whether a campaign finance violation occurred.
State campaign finance law prohibits candidates serving in public office from using state funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationery, postage, vehicles, equipment, supplies or other public resources while campaigning. Candidates who do use public resources are required to reimburse the state and report the use. Davis said the two statewide elected officials unlawfully used on-duty Michigan State Police officers and state-owned vehicles for election-related functions, the report notes. Representatives for Benson and Gilchrist did not respond to requests for comment, according to the same account.
What Section 57 Actually Penalizes
The allegations center on Section 57 of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, which makes it a misdemeanor for an individual acting on behalf of a public body to knowingly use government property, personnel, or vehicles for campaign expenditures. Under the Michigan Bureau of Elections, a conviction carries up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. Notably, a 2011 Michigan Supreme Court precedent in Michigan Education Association v. Secretary of State established that reimbursing a public body after the fact does not automatically cure or eliminate an underlying Section 57 violation, per the Bureau of Elections.
When a complaint involving the secretary of state reaches the attorney general's desk, Nessel may pursue misdemeanor criminal charges under Section 57, according to the Bureau of Elections.
A Familiar Face In Michigan Election Litigation
This is not Davis's first run at Benson's candidacy this year. In August, Davis filed an amended lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims seeking to disqualify Benson from the gubernatorial ballot entirely, alleging she submitted a false affidavit of identity tied to a $50 campaign finance late fee paid by check on February 25, 2015, though Davis disputed whether Benson or her campaign committee paid it, as reported by the Detroit Metro Times. The outlet also notes that Davis is a frequent litigator in Metro Detroit, having filed an emergency lawsuit over Detroit primary election absentee ballot counting in August 2025 and a defamation lawsuit against mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch Jr. that October.
Davis's own history carries its own legal baggage. He served an 18-month federal prison sentence following a December 2014 conviction for stealing nearly $200,000 from the Highland Park School District through a fraudulent invoicing scheme while he sat on its school board, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Not An Isolated Complaint This Cycle
Section 57 disputes over candidate travel have become something of a recurring theme in Michigan's 2026 election cycle. In April, conservative campaign finance activist Robert LaBrant filed a separate Section 57 complaint alleging Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit violated state law by using a county-owned vehicle and gas card for political events during his campaign for Michigan Attorney General, according to Inside Michigan Politics.
The timing of Davis's complaints lands at a pivotal moment for both Democrats. Benson won the Democratic primary for governor on August 4 with more than 83 percent of the vote and now faces Republican U.S. Representative John James in the November 3 general election to succeed term-limited Governor Gretchen Whitmer, per Ballotpedia. Gilchrist, who withdrew from the Democratic gubernatorial primary in January before the field even took shape, instead secured his party's nomination for secretary of state at the state convention in late August. An October statewide poll from CBS News Detroit showed Gilchrist leading Republican nominee Anthony Forlini by five percentage points among likely voters in that race, underscoring how competitive the contest remains with the attorney general now weighing the allegations against both candidates.
