根据Decision Desk HQ（DDHQ）的预测，密歇根州州务卿乔斯琳·本森（民主党）将击败共和党众议员约翰·詹姆斯，赢得该州州长选举。截至东部标准时间晚上10点45分，DDHQ已统计31%的选票，本森以55%对44%领先11个百分点。本森于2018年首次当选州务卿，将接替任期届满的民主党州长格雷琴·惠特默，后者因任期限制无法连任。
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) is projected to defeat Republican Rep. John James in the state’s gubernatorial race, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ). Benson was leading by 11 percentage points — 55 percent to 44 percent — with 31 percent of the vote reported by DDHQ as of 10:45 p.m. EST. Benson, who was first elected secretary of state in 2018, will succeed outgoing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who is term limited.
本森的胜利打破了密歇根州州长职位在八年后更替政党的数十年惯例。2020年，本森因捍卫密歇根州总统选举结果、抵制特朗普总统推翻其失败的努力而受到全国关注。作为该州最高选举官员，她还面临威胁和骚扰，包括武装抗议者聚集在她家门外，要求推翻选举结果。她的行为使她在2022年获得约翰·F·肯尼迪勇气典范奖，并在2023年获得总统公民奖章。
Benson’s victory breaks Michigan’s decades-long pattern of switching parties in the governor’s office after eight years. Benson gained national attention in 2020 for defending Michigan’s presidential election results against President Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss. As the state’s chief election official, she also faced threats and harassment, including armed protesters who gathered outside her home to demand the results be overturned. Her actions earned her the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2022 and the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2023.
本森曾是法学院院长和民权活动家，竞选主张降低成本、保护堕胎权和投票权。她试图将詹姆斯与特朗普的关税政策联系起来，并抨击其在医疗保健方面的国会记录。詹姆斯是西点军校毕业生和陆军退伍军人，竞选聚焦经济问题，将成本高企和增长缓慢归咎于该州的民主党领导层。他在共和党初选中获得了特朗普的背书，这帮助他击败了商人佩里·约翰逊，后者在竞选中自掏近3300万美元，据《库克政治报》报道。
A former law school dean and civil rights activist, Benson campaigned on lowering costs and protecting abortion rights and voting access. She sought to tie James to Trump’s tariffs and attacked his congressional record on healthcare. James, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, campaigned on economic issues, blaming Democratic leadership in the state for higher costs and slow growth. He secured Trump’s endorsement in the GOP primary, which helped him defeat businessman Perry Johnson, who spent nearly $33 million of his own money on the campaign, according to Cook Political Report.
这一结果标志着詹姆斯近年来第三次在全州范围的竞选中失利。他曾在2018年输给前参议员黛比·斯塔贝诺（密歇根州民主党），在2020年输给参议员加里·彼得斯（密歇根州民主党）。此后，他竞选一个竞争激烈的众议院席位并连任两届，随后参选州长。
The result marks James’s third unsuccessful statewide bid in recent years. He lost Senate races to former Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in 2018 and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in 2020. He subsequently ran for a competitive House seat and served two terms before running for governor.
本森进入竞选最后几天时是热门人选，DDHQ将该竞选评为“民主党大概率胜选”，并在周五给出本森78%的获胜概率。该选举预测机构的民调平均值也显示，本森以49.8%对42%领先詹姆斯。自前底特律市长、独立候选人迈克·达根于5月退选后，竞选局势转向有利于本森。他的退出促使《库克政治报告》将该竞选从“悬而未决”调整为“民主党略占优势”。在竞选过程中，本森因丈夫为一家数据中心开发商工作而受到审查。她呼吁全州暂停此类开发项目，而詹姆斯则主张地方政府应有权阻止这些项目。
Benson entered the final days of the campaign as the favorite, with DDHQ rating the race “likely Democrat” and giving Benson a 78 percent chance of winning as of Friday. The election handicapper’s polling average also showed Benson leading James, 49.8 percent to 42 percent. The contest shifted in Benson’s favor once former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, an independent candidate, dropped out in May. His withdrawal from the race led Cook Political Report to move the race from toss-up to “lean Democrat.”On the campaign trail, Benson faced scrutiny over her husband’s work for a data center developer. She called for a statewide moratorium on the developments, while James pushed for local governments to have the power to block them.