Skip to main content

Benson wins Michigan Democratic gubernatorial primary, CBS News projects

▶ Watch Video: Benson, James win Michigan gubernatorial primary races

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is projected to be the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic gubernatorial primary race, according to CBS News.

As of 9 p.m., unofficial results show that Benson was winning with 211,877 votes over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson‘s 38,439 votes. At that time, 17% of the votes had been counted.

Benson would go head-to-head against Congressman John James, who won the Republican primary.

Democratic Governors Association Chair Andy Beshear released the following statement:

“Congratulations to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on becoming the Democratic nominee for governor in Michigan. Jocelyn understands the challenges families are facing, and she has been a fearless public servant who fixes broken systems and improves the lives of Michiganders. 

“As Secretary of State, she kept her promises and transformed one of Michigan’s largest departments into one that saved people time, increased transparency, and defended our democracy against relentless attacks. As governor, Jocelyn will tackle corruption, lower the costs of health care, housing, and energy, and always stand up to Donald Trump when he threatens Michigan families and their freedoms. 

“She’s already earned the trust of Michiganders by winning statewide twice, and the DGA will be all-in to make sure she wins this high-stakes race so she can keep standing up for the people of Michigan.”  

Democratic National Convention Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“Congratulations to Jocelyn Benson on earning the Democratic nomination to be the next governor of Michigan. As Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn has dedicated her career to serving the people of Michigan, protecting the right to vote, and delivering results for families across the state. Her record of leadership has earned the trust of Michigan voters, and Democrats are united behind her as we work together to lower prices, protect healthcare, and build on our progress in order to keep Michigan moving forward.”  

The candidates

Benson was elected in 2018 and oversees the state’s election processes and the motor vehicle department. She cited her achievements in that role, including decreasing wait times for in-person appointments and installing self-service motor vehicle stations across the state. 

Benson’s campaign promises include bringing accountability and transparency to state government, and working on behalf of the state’s families with a “progressive vision for Michigan’s future.” 

She has been critical of President Trump, who has repeatedly made claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election.

Benson has also faced lawsuits in recent months ahead of the election. In January 2026, four Black employees sued the Michigan Secretary of State, alleging racial discrimination in the workplace. 

In May 2025, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Benson violated state law by hosting a campaign press conference in a state building’s lobby. At the time, Benson said she didn’t want people outside in the cold.

Swanson was elected sheriff of Michigan’s fifth-largest county in 2020. His announcement that he would run for governor marked his full leap into politics after gaining national attention for marching with protesters following the death of George Floyd and speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 2024.

At the protest in Flint, Swanson removed his riot gear and marched alongside demonstrators.

Swanson attended Mott Community College in Flint and the University of Michigan, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration, according to his website.

Key issues

The key issues highlighted in Benson’s campaign include housing and affordability, healthcare, childcare, energy costs, and the development of renewable energy infrastructure. Benson also focuses on data centers, which have drawn attention in Southeast Michigan amid protests by several residents.

While Benson is not opposed to data centers coming to Michigan, she argues that they should bring jobs and low energy costs for residents, according to her website. She also pushed for public hearings on data centers to allow residents to express their concerns.

Swanson focuses on a cannabis protection plan, a pet protection plan and expanding the I.G.N.I.T.E. program in jails, according to his campaign website. The program, which he launched in Genesee County in 2020, aims to reduce reincarcerations through educational training. Swanson also pushes for funding to support school infrastructure such as bulletproof glass, metal detectors and single entry points to protect students and staff in the event of a school shooting.

Other issues that Swanson is prioritizing include reducing FOIA exemptions for government officials, economic growth and a seven-point education plan that consists of free breakfast and lunch for all Michigan students and addressing literacy.

Trump gets a much-needed South Carolina win and other takeaways from Tuesday’s elections

By CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump demonstrated his might with Republican primary voters Tuesday in South Carolina, as CNN’s Decision Desk projected that Darline Graham — the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and the president’s pick in the state’s special Senate primary runoff — will claim the GOP nomination.Now favored to win a full term in November, Darline Graham is, in many ways, a senator of Trump’s own making. The president lobbied South Carolina’s governor to appoint her to fill the remaining months in her brother’s term after he died in July. Then, he privately and publicly pressed her to run for a full six-year term.And when it looked like her rival in the runoff, Rep. Ralph Norman, might win, Trump visited Myrtle Beach to rally Republican loyalists to Graham’s cause, as his super PAC, MAGA Inc., disclosed spending more than $827,000 to support Graham.Graham’s win is narrow — she led by just a few percentage points Tuesday evening — but symbolically significant for the president in a month full of political setbacks, with six of his endorsed picks losing Republican primaries.Trump’s preferred candidate in the Oklahoma governor’s race, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, meanwhile, was locked in a close Republican primary runoff against state Attorney General Gentner Drummond as ballots were being counted Tuesday night.And in a low-turnout special election runoff in Georgia, Democrats filled a vacancy in the narrowly divided House.Here are takeaways from Tuesday’s elections in South Carolina, Oklahoma and Georgia:A badly needed win for TrumpDarline Graham took to the stage at her victory party Tuesday night and declared: “South Carolina is truly Trump country.”Unlike her brother, who was close to the late Sen. John McCain and built a reputation as a foreign policy hawk independent from Trump, Darline Graham’s political profile was tied entirely to the president.“Our victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful,” she said in a message directed at Trump.For Trump, the win was badly needed — a victory in one of his highest-risk interventions in Republican primaries this year, after a string of several losses this month and with midterm elections just over two months away. It could serve to remind Republican lawmakers who might be looking to distance themselves from an unpopular president of the potential political costs of being at odds with Trump.Norman acknowledged Trump’s role in the race’s outcome, telling his supporters Tuesday night that “the president got involved. He has that right.”“I never understood why he got in this race,” Norman said as some members of the crowd booed the president. “But it is what it is, and I’ll accept it.”Graham is now set to face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November. Andrews on Tuesday challenged Graham to at least three televised debates, saying in a statement that “no appointment, endorsement, or family connection entitles anyone to six years” in the Senate. Still, Graham is heavily favored to win the deep-red state in the general election.A senator of Trump’s makingTrump has endorsed a slew of candidates this year, but rarely has he put his own political capital on the line like he did in South Carolina.When Trump initially talked up Darline Graham to fill the seat of her late brother, and Gov. Henry McMaster complied, it seemed like a short-term gig. The seat was already on the ballot for a full six-year term in November, so she’d have been a placeholder for a few months, until South Carolina voters nominated and elected one of the state’s myriad experienced Republicans who had been waiting decades for a Senate vacancy.But Trump doubled down three days after she was sworn in, urging her on social media to seek a full term. And, days later, she announced she would do so.The president’s “complete and total endorsement” wasn’t enough to clear the field. After all, Darline Graham had no political experience, and her brother wasn’t exactly beloved among conservative voters in South Carolina: He’d earned just 57% of the vote in his primary two months earlier against a handful of relative unknowns.The results of the August 11 primary suggested she could be defeated in the runoff. She finished first, but with just shy of 33% of the vote.There were reasons to believe Trump’s influence might be limited. After all, his choice in South Carolina’s GOP primary for governor, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, lost to state Attorney General Alan Wilson — who Trump also endorsed at the last minute when it was clear his preference was on course for defeat.The president did not have the luxury of the same face-saving tack here: Norman had endorsed and campaigned with former Gov. Nikki Haley as she ran against Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.Graham’s inexperience was on display during a debate with Norman earlier this month, when she declined to answer a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea, saying that national security was “not my thing.”But Trump carried Graham over the finish line. He visited South Carolina on Friday, telling Republicans that he’d personally lobbied her to run for a full term. “Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” he urged GOP voters.Another endorsement test in OklahomaAnother Trump-endorsed candidate, Mazzei, was locked in a tight race Tuesday night against Drummond in the hard-fought runoff for the Republican nomination for governor.The two are vying to take on Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, the Democratic nominee, in the race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt in November.The race was another test of Trump’s influence — and there were significant questions over whether his endorsement would be enough for Mazzei, after Trump’s picks in Republican gubernatorial primaries in Georgia, Iowa and Minnesota all lost earlier this year.A key divide in the primary was a proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter at the Tulsa Port of Inola, estimated to bring about 1,000 jobs to the area. Trump touted the plant, claiming on Truth Social that it “will be one of the best projects ever conceived or built, not only in the Great State of Oklahoma, but in the United States, itself.” But, amid local concerns about pollution and damage to the livestock economy, Drummond has sued, asking a federal court to block the plant’s construction.Georgia Dems fill a House seatCNN projects that Democrat Everton Blair, a former Gwinnett County School Board chair, will win the special election for Georgia’s 13th District House seat vacated by the late Rep. David Scott’s death in April.But he won’t hold that seat for long.Blair, who will be the first out gay member of Congress from Georgia, defeated the longtime lawmaker’s daughter Marcye Scott in the special election runoff on Tuesday. He campaigned on a pledge to be a stronger opponent to Trump and advocate for a more progressive affordability agenda than both the late congressman and his daughter.However, Blair finished a distant third in the regular House primary earlier this year, so he won’t be on the ballot in November.State lawmaker Jasmine Clark is the Democratic nominee for a full two-year term in the deep-blue district in November. She did not run in the special election because under state law, she would have had to resign her seat in the Georgia House — costing Democrats a seat just as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was launching an unsuccessful push for mid-decade redistricting.In the meantime, Blair’s win, and the special election of state Sen. Aisha Wahab in California last week, will help Democrats further narrow the already razor-thin GOP majority in the House.CNN’s Katie Doran and Adam Cancryn contributed to this report.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
Darline Graham ganará la segunda vuelta por el escaño en el Senado de su difunto hermano en Carolina del Sur, proyecta CNN
1 hour ago

Darline Graham ganará la segunda vuelta por el escaño en el Senado de su difunto hermano en Carolina del Sur, proyecta CNN

3 funcionarios del Servicio Secreto son puestos en licencia administrativa por presunta conducta indebida

Dolly Parton, la mujer que logró unir a presidentes, creyentes y drag queens

Cnn L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXQ5YjIxZXMwMDAzM2I2cjRnOWw2dmQ5 L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtdDlhOTFrYzAwMHkyZG50Nndtdjk3ajM=

Dolly Parton was the one person who could unite a deeply divided country

Plummer and Sanchez Present Clear Choices at GHWCC Harris County Judge Forum