WATCH: Benson Discusses Her Fight for Safe, Secure Elections Even in the Face of Threats
Benson: “The job in this moment [is] to protect and grow our economy, protect the safety of our communities […] and use every tool available to us in doing so.”
During a new interview on CBS’s The Takeout, Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson discussed her work protecting the safety and security of Michigan’s elections, even amidst threats of violence against herself and her family.
Benson shared emotional stories of how her husband and young son persevered through threats, her experience as a military spouse and how it guides her leadership, and how marathon running shapes her work ethic.
In case you missed it …
Key moments:
On persevering amidst violent threats:
Benson: [...] we were decorating the Christmas tree when armed protesters showed up at our house in December of 2020 because they had been fed lies about the election. [...] And in the moments that have happened since, swatting attempts, bomb threats, there's always a feeling of apprehension and fear because you just don't know what could happen in those moments. But that fear then transforms in me into a greater boldness of doing this work because I know what's at stake.
On how being a military spouse grounds her family:
Benson: [...] That's a real lived experience for us where I had to sit at home alone [and] think about my husband being in the battlefield targeted with machine guns from you know foreign militaries, from the Taliban and others. [...] We understand often and he has lived it what it means to actually defend American democracy at home and overseas. [...]
I think we've tried to live that throughout our life, even from, you know, when I started my career investigating white supremacist organizations undercover at the age of 20 to his service in the military to now, all of it has been trying to just do right by those who've come before us, frankly, who've similarly sacrificed great things so that we could live in a country where anyone could go from poverty to prosperity.
Why she’s running for governor:
Benson: [...] We can emerge out of this time with a healthier and more robust economy and democracy than ever before. That's my goal to get us to a better place. It does mean marching towards and through the fire, as we talk about it, in order to get there. [...]
I'll work with anyone to improve the lives of Michigan citizens, but I'll also stand up to anyone in furtherance of truth and the law no matter how wealthy or how powerful they may be in order to protect the will of the people, the safety of our residents, our rights, our freedoms, our economy, and all the rest.
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