Candidate · November 3, 2026
Jocelyn Benson
On the ballot for Governor · Michigan
- issues with public statements
- 7
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | Governor · Michigan1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic Party1 |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Jocelyn Benson graduated from Wellesley College and Harvard Law School and worked as a law clerk to Judge Damon J. Keith in Detroit.2,
Why they say they're running
Her campaign website says she is running for governor to make Michigan the best place to be a kid, raise a kid and call home, and that her focus is making the state affordable so young people, seniors and everyone in between can stay.2
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitejocelynbenson.com4,
5 - Facebookfacebook.com/bensonformichigan5
- X (Twitter)x.com/JocelynBenson5
- Instagraminstagram.com/jocelynbenson5
- Blueskybsky.app/profile/jocelynbenson5
- Threadsthreads.net/@jocelynbenson5
- TikToktiktok.com/@jocelynbensonhq5
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@BensonforGovernor5
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Energy and Climate
Her campaign website says she would put a moratorium on data centers until rules require them to negotiate with communities in the open, bar them from tax breaks and from using up water, and make them pay for their own power.6
- Encourage new data centers with tax breaks and faster approvals
- Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
- Pause or limit new data centers
Family and Social Policy
Her campaign website says she would make child care free.2
- Make child care free, or cap what families pay at a set share of income (such as 7%), paid for with new public funding
- Expand help for lower- and middle-income families through grants and tax credits
- Keep current child care funding and tax credits
- Lower costs mainly by easing rules on providers, not with new federal spending
Taxes and Budget
Her housing plan says she would expand the Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit, raising income limits and benefit levels so more working families, seniors and fixed-income homeowners qualify.7
- Eliminate property taxes on primary homes
- Cap yearly increases or expand homeowner exemptions
- No new state caps or exemptions; leave property taxes to local governments
Housing
Her housing plan says she would streamline approvals so builders wait weeks instead of months, and build a statewide housing data system while working voluntarily with local governments.7
Her housing plan says she would expand a tax credit for families buying their first home.7
Her housing plan says she would bar private equity firms and institutional investors from buying homes during their first 100 days on the market.7
Education
Her education plan says Michigan has underfunded its public schools for nearly three decades and that she would fund schools based on student needs and fix special education funding.8
- Increase state funding for public schools
- Hold funding near current levels
- Reduce state school funding or slow its growth
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left.
Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising. Search the state's reports: Campaign finance searchable database (start page) — Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections.9