WATCH: Benson Slams Trump for Calling to “Nationalize” Elections
Benson to CNN: “Protecting democracy, the integrity of our elections, and the Constitution itself is not and should not be a partisan issue”
Michigan Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson called out Donald Trump for continuing his baseless attacks on Michigan’s election security and calling for Republicans to “nationalize” future elections during an interview on CNN last night.
Jocelyn Benson is the only candidate in this race with a history of standing up to Trump and delivering for our residents. While others stay quiet, Secretary Benson — just as she did in 2020 — is once again standing up to Trump and his dangerous attacks on Michigan’s elections.
In case you missed it…
COATES: Secretary Benson, I am very curious on your take. The president mentioned specifically Detroit as a problem. What goes through your mind when you hear the president push to have the federal government run elections in a state like yours?
BENSON: What goes through my mind is three things. First, here we go again. I mean, time and time again, we have shown the receipts that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And it was because state officials stood up and protected the votes of citizens in Philadelphia, in Detroit, in Atlanta, that we actually were able to protect that election and ensure democracy prevailed.
But secondly, the question is why now? Why rehash these long disproven conspiracy theories? And, it, you know, begs to sort of ask why … a very unpopular president in this moment, has implemented a lot of unpopular economic policies that have driven up the cost of living exponentially in Michigan and other states. And so this also feels like an effort to deter us from holding him accountable at the ballot box either this fall or in 2028, by suggesting, falsely, that the federal government should have any role, or could have any role, overseeing elections. Elections are run by the states. We do it very well with integrity, securely and effectively, time and time again, and we invite everyone to look at the transparent evidence that reinforces that fact. And this underscores, again, why it's so important that state officials protect democracy, because it's not a partisan issue, and it should be done by the bipartisan professionals that do it in states like Michigan.
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