Jocelyn Benson
Jocelyn Benson | |
|---|---|
Benson in 2019 | |
| 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
| Governor | Gretchen Whitmer |
| Deputy | Aghogho Edevbie |
| Preceded by | Ruth Johnson |
| Dean of the Wayne State University Law School | |
| In office December 2012 – September 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Ackerman |
| Succeeded by | Richard Bierschbach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 22, 1977 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ryan Friedrichs |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Wellesley College (BA) Magdalen College, Oxford (MPhil) Harvard University (JD) |
| Awards | Profile in Courage Award (2022) Presidential Citizens Medal (2023) |
| Website | Government website |
Jocelyn Benson (born October 22, 1977) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 43rd secretary of state of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the former dean of Wayne State University Law School from 2012 to 2016.
In 2018, Benson was elected as the Secretary of State in Michigan, securing the position with an 8.9 percentage point margin over Republican Mary Treder Lang. This victory made her the first Democrat to hold the office since 1995. She was reelected in 2022, defeating Republican Kristina Karamo by a margin of 14 percentage points, setting a record for the largest margin and vote share among statewide candidates that year.
Benson is a candidate for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election, having announced her campaign in January 2025.