DETROIT NEWS: Jocelyn Benson Works to Win Back Democratic Trifecta

“I want people I can work with in Lansing to get things done.” - Jocelyn Benson

In an interview with The Detroit News, Jocelyn Benson highlighted her goal for the next 24 days: share her plans to lower costs and raise wages for Michiganders and help deliver a Democratic trifecta that will hit the ground running on day one. In the final weeks before the election, Jocelyn will be campaigning alongside downballot candidates in crucial battleground districts, to protect and flip seats across the state and win back the Democratic trifecta in November. They will be critical partners in Lansing, helping Jocelyn build a Michigan that is the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Key point: “Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee to be Michigan's next governor, said she's focused on building a governing coalition in Lansing and will turn her attention in the final weeks of the campaign toward helping elect Democrats to seats in the Legislature.”

In case you missed it…

The Detroit News: Jocelyn Benson says she wants to help build Democratic trifecta

[Craig Mauger, 10/10/26]

Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee to be Michigan's next governor, says she'll make campaign stops in the coming weeks aimed at helping her party take full control of the state Legislature and build a new Democratic trifecta.

Benson, the current secretary of state, unveiled her plans in an interview with The Detroit News, 26 days before the midterm election. Having Democrats in control of the House and Senate will be key to accomplishing some of her legislative goals, Benson said.

"In showing up to help people win now, that helps us build the partnerships to govern together effectively on the other side," Benson said.

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In the Oct. 8 interview, Benson said she wants to use the "momentum of this moment" to ensure Democrats are elected up and down the ballot, including in state House and Senate races.

All 148 seats in the Michigan Legislature will be up for grabs in the Nov. 3 election. Democrats currently have a 20-18 majority in the Senate, but Republicans hold a 58-52 majority in the House.

If Benson were to win, Democrats would need to flip four GOP-held seats to take control of the House and maintain their majority in the Senate to form the governing trifecta — controlling both houses of the Legislature and the governor's office.

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"I certainly have my eye on areas of the state where we have the most opportunity to either flip ... seats or gain some advantage," Benson said.

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David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University, said Benson’s discussion of getting more engaged in state legislative races showed her team believed in their strategy to win the governor’s contest.

“I think she’s signaling tremendous confidence,” Dulio said.

[...]

Her plans to make changes to Michigan's education system, to create a prescription drug affordability board to intervene in pharmaceutical prices and to institute ethics reforms would all benefit from a Democratic trifecta, she said.

Benson wants to expand the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which generally requires government documents to be made available upon request, to the governor's office and lawmakers. Michigan is one of two states that provides those exemptions currently, and as speaker, Hall has refused to hold votes on FOIA bills that passed the Senate in 2025.

"I believe only with a trifecta can we get the transparency reform, the FOIA expansion, the other types of things we really need," Benson said.

Benson added, "I am hopeful that we can transform our public education system efficiently and with a sense of urgency with a governing coalition and a trifecta."

Previously, Benson has said Michigan needs an "equitable education funding model." She has argued the current funding system that's based around a flat per-pupil allocation for all schools is "broken." Benson's other ideas include creating a statewide strategy to tackle student absenteeism.

[...]

Benson said she understands "the importance of enabling all of our candidates to be a part of what we're building so we can win together and govern effectively together."

"I want people I can work with in Lansing to get things done," she said.

Asked if she sees a Democratic wave as a possibility on Nov. 3, Benson said she generally doesn't look at polling[…]

"Anything can happen at any point," Benson added. "And I'm very aware of that."

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