EMILYs List Endorses Jocelyn Benson for Michigan Secretary of State

For Immediate Release
February 5, 2018

EMILYs List Endorses Jocelyn Benson for Michigan Secretary of State

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Jocelyn Benson for Michigan secretary of state. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“During her time as dean of Wayne State University Law School, Jocelyn Benson worked tirelessly to improve services, create more scholarships, and slash costs, which boosted the school’s reputation. Additionally, she has led efforts to provide free legal services to Michigan veterans, equip Detroit entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed, and has overseen three statewide election protection efforts.”

“As Michigan’s next secretary of state, Jocelyn is committed to ensuring that all Michigan voters have a voice and that government services work for all. She is a proven leader who will use her experience to implement a 30 minute guarantee for service, make it easier to vote but harder to cheat, and crack down on people intimidating voters or committing fraud against our elections system. EMILYs List is proud to endorse Jocelyn Benson.”  

Jocelyn Benson has more than a decade of experience in election law and election administration, and in championing the rights of citizens by successfully fighting the status quo. She has made the “30 minute guarantee,” a commitment to reduce wait times for Michigan residents to renew a driver license, register their vehicle, or cast a ballot to under 30 minutes, a central plank of her campaign. Jocelyn would be the first Democratic woman to serve as secretary of state in Michigan.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.