LISTEN: Jocelyn Benson Calls Out GOP Lies, Lays Out Plan to Make Life More Affordable for Michiganders
While Republicans are stuck in the past, Jocelyn is focused on delivering as governor
This weekend, Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson joined The Back Room with Andy Ostroy to share her plans to lower costs, raise wages, and protect Michiganders’ rights and freedoms. While Donald Trump and the Michigan GOP are wasting Michiganders’ time relitigating debunked conspiracy theories from six years ago, Jocelyn was clear: the job of the next governor is tackling Michigan’s affordability crisis.
Key point: “Let's talk about what they want to distract us from: the fact that healthcare prices are on the rise; the fact that every community I go to in Michigan, I hear heartbreaking stories about residents trying to cover the cost of rising prescription drugs, or unable to breathe clean air because of wildfires, or unable to know how they're going to cover the cost of their electricity bill that keeps going up and up and up, or not even knowing if they can afford to buy a home in the community they want to live in. That's real. Those are the struggles that people in Michigan and all around the nation are enduring right now because of this President’s economic policies.”
In case you missed it…
Andy Ostroy: You've spent eight years as Michigan's chief election official, often under intense pressures, and even personal threats. Why did you decide that now is the right time to run for governor? And how has that experience, overall protecting democracy, shaped the kind of governor you want to be?
Jocelyn Benson: I think governors in this critical moment – at a time where, especially at the federal level, it feels like government is showing up everywhere we don't want it, and nowhere where we actually need it – this is a moment where governors are critical guardrails for protecting not just our democracy but also our economy. The three pillars of our campaign are driving down costs of everything from healthcare to housing to utility bills, increasing wages so that we're growing our economy, and protecting the safety of our citizens, whether it be at the ballot box or in the doctor's office or in schools or places of worship or anywhere in between. And being prepared to work with anyone to get those things done, but also being prepared to stand up to anyone, no matter how powerful, even if it's the president of the United States who would stand in the way. I've done a lot of that work as Secretary of State, and I'm ready to do it as Michigan's next governor, knowing that governors have never, again, been more important to play that role of standing up to the President, and protecting our rights, our freedoms, our economy in the states where we govern.
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Ostroy: With affordability as the main concern of voters, apparently on both sides of the aisle, what should the main strategy and messaging be? At the same time, it seems like Democrats also need to be talking about protecting, and preserving, and defending our democracy [...] How do you manage both?
Benson: Well, it's all interconnected, right? You can't have a healthy economy without a healthy democracy. And you need a governor who knows how to protect both and grow both. And I've done that as Secretary of State. Even in this time of great challenge at the federal level. So, in my view, our campaign is all about exactly what you said: those three pillars. Affordability, which to me is not only about driving down costs, making healthcare and housing more affordable, but also increasing wages. Because, right now, costs are going up and wages are stagnant or going down. We need to flip that. And government and governors can do that by investing in job growth, bringing new jobs to Michigan, making it easier for small businesses to start and grow, or scale up, as well as streamlining how we work things in Michigan to drive down costs of how houses are built, how hospitals are operating and the like. [...] A lot of the reasons why the system is broken is not just because we see an economy that is failing to meet the needs of its citizens, but also because we have so much corruption and cruelty, particularly at the federal level. A broken system that is not listening to what people need and is trying to, at the same time, dampen their voices by attacking democracy, as we see President Trump consistently doing. [...] You need a governor who can call out that corruption as well, so that we can improve our economy and our democracy.
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Ostroy: What are you expecting from him tonight in [Trump’s] speech? And if it is what we all expect it to be, what's the plan tomorrow for your campaign, for you, and what should the party do overall to respond to this?
Benson: I am expecting lies about our elections to distract from a failed economic agenda and real tragedies that are occurring around our country. So I'm expecting this will be an effort to distract the American people from those realities. And so what the next day looks like is telling the truth. Saying, first of all, our elections in Michigan are safe, secure, accessible. It's why we've been ranked number two in the nation for fair and secure elections, here in Michigan. But secondly, let's talk about the economy. Let's talk about what they want to distract us from: the fact that healthcare prices are on the rise; the fact that every community I go to in Michigan, I hear heartbreaking stories about residents trying to cover the cost of rising prescription drugs, or unable to breathe clean air because of wildfires, or unable to know how they're going to cover the cost of their electricity bill that keeps going up and up and up, or not even knowing if they can afford to buy a home in the community they want to live in. That's real. Those are the struggles that people in Michigan and all around the nation are enduring right now because of this President’s economic policies. So let's talk about that, and not allow these red herrings to distract us from our responsibilities as American citizens, to holding every leader that promotes those failed economic policies accountable at the ballot box this fall.
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