by Julie Hirschler
How do we face the daunting electoral challenges that threaten democracy? Nowhere are these challenges greater than in Michigan, where the 2022 races for governor and secretary of state will decide whether there will be free and fair elections there in 2024 and beyond.
Fortunately, there are several fearless women on the ballot willing to step up in this crisis. They are fighting for both voting and reproductive rights, as women turn up to register and vote in record numbers. Key among these is Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s current secretary of state.
“The threats against our democracy are truly a five-alarm fire, and in that fire, Michigan is ground zero,” she warns. “Election deniers” want to “take over our statewide offices so that they can potentially be in position to block, undo, or fail to certify election results that they disagree with in the future.” She also fears (along with President Biden and many of us!), “the ongoing spread of information which fuels the potential for violence on Election Day.”
Benson notes that women have been “showing up in droves” to register to vote in Michigan and other swing states such as Wisconsin and Ohio. All have statewide races that could decide the fate of abortion access in November.
A Long-Time Champion of Voting Rights
Benson has long been a champion of elections that are safe, accessible, and secure. In the face of lies and personal intervention by Donald Trump, Benson has stood up to an unprecedented wave of continuous, unrelenting harassment and threats to herself, her family, and state election officials. In recent testimony to a US Senate Committee she said, ”I have spent my career defending and protecting the right to vote of every eligible citizen.”
Trump has endorsed Benson’s opponent, Kristina Karamo, along with other top-of-the ticket Republicans in Michigan. At an April rally, he asserted that the race is “so important” because “what happened in Michigan is a disgrace.” Of course, he has no proof. State election results have been upheld by more than 200 audits, and the lack of widespread fraud was confirmed in a Republican-led state Senate inquiry last year.
Benson has worked fearlessly and tirelessly so that Michigan candidates who stand for free and fair elections succeed. Hers has been a counter punch to false claims from the Right and a clarion call to protect democracy in the state and throughout the nation.
But wait, there are more Michigan women of courage!
Michigan is fortunate to have many other women running up and down the ballot who are committed to leading the charge for voting and reproductive rights.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed endless challenges from the Republican state legislature to Michigan voting rights — and escaped a planned kidnapping. She is also a strong proponent of reproductive rights. She is “working like hell” to strengthen democracy in Michigan and counteract the millions donated to Republicans by the deVos family.
Hillary Scholten, was inspired to run for Congress by the recent Supreme Court ruling that decimated Roe v. Wade and our long-cherished right to reproductive freedom. She has energized thousands of volunteers from Western Michigan to support her in a newly redistricted, formerly Republican stronghold.
Mallory McMorrow, who represents Michigan’s 13th Senate District, recently gained national attention from her strong and eloquent defense when attacked by her opponent for wanting to “groom and sexualize” young children. “I want every child in this state to feel seen, heard, and supported,” she says. McMorrow has vigorously opposed Republican attempts to revert to Michigan’s Civil War era anti-abortion law.
These four women in Michigan — and others like them — will push back decisively against disinformation and fight for voting and reproductive rights! They make themselves heard. They act decisively. And their courage gives us hope for November!
Leave a Reply