Michigan Focus: Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State: "Knowledgeable and genuine."

From the Jocelyn Benson campaign:

"Knowledgeable and genuine."

Those were the words that an editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette used in a recent column on our campaign.

"The quality of being genuine is a rare attribute in a politician," she wrote.

Below is Joyce Pines' article about my candidacy for Michigan Secretary of State in the Kalamazoo Gazette. I wanted to personally share it with you because it illustrates what our campaign is about - a genuine effort to ensure that Michigan's government is efficient, transparent, protects pocketbooks, and puts people first.

Here are excerpts from that article:

Column: The quality of being genuine is a rare attribute in a politician
Joyce Pines | Kalamazoo Gazette

The first major politician I covered was a U.S. representative from Illinois, Paul Simon, a Democrat who ran for the United States Senate in 1984. The Illinois newspaper I worked for was in the hometown of Simon’s opponent in the race, incumbent U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, a moderate Republican.

My newspaper assigned me to cover Simon’s candidacy and I was sent to follow a campaign swing through southern Illinois beginning at dawn at a coal mine during shift change....

Simon had a quality of genuineness that I have rarely seen in politicians. He was also incredibly knowledgeable about the issues. He was someone you could sit down and talk to and get his views without hearing talking points and what his “handlers” thought would most resonate with voters...

After 26 years, I recently met another individual running for office who reminded me of that encounter: Jocelyn Benson, who is running as a Democrat for Secretary of State. I was impressed with her understanding of the office and her enthusiasm. A professor at Wayne State University specializing in election law, Benson has written a book on the Secretary of State’s office...

But Benson’s major concern is making sure the right to vote is protected. She is very concerned about the potential influence of corporations on elections in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling. She favors requiring companies that pay for ads and robo calls to identify themselves so voters will know who’s responsible.

We had a good conversation, not a question-and-answer session.

After all that time, it was nice to be surprised by a political candidate who is both knowledgeable and genuine.

Here is Jocelyn Benson's recent speech to the Michigan Democratic Party:



Please support Jocelyn Benson for Michigan Secretary of State. Knowledgeable and genuine are definitely valuable qualities in a Secretary of State.