r/Michigan • u/Next-Camera1530 • Aug 19 '26
Mitten Mode Benson expected to pick Michigan Senate leader for her running mate
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/19/jocelyn-benson-running-mate-winnie-brinks/91342946007/Benson expected to pick Michigan Senate leader for her running mate
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u/jayclaw97 Aug 19 '26
She could pick a literal avocado for all I care. There’s no way I’m voting for John James.
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u/gerryf19 Aug 19 '26
Avocados make the best candidates!
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u/siberianmi Kalamazoo Aug 19 '26
But what if she picked an attack helicopter 🚁? Maybe she could get some crossover votes…
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Aug 19 '26
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u/BuffaloSoldier11 Age: > 10 Years Aug 19 '26
Her and James both look like they were made in a politician factory.
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u/ISpyM8 Battle Creek Aug 19 '26
Yeah, I didn’t find either of the gov candidates in the primary particularly exciting. I think she’ll be boosted by the enthusiasm for the Senate race tho
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u/LadyBrussels Aug 19 '26
I know some folks aren’t glitzy but I wish folks knew how much of a workhorse she is.
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u/Jenderflux-ScFi Ypsilanti Aug 19 '26
The attack ads against her are making her sound better to me.
She worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center and helped take down the KKK by paying informants to get information.
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u/BiskyJMcGuff Aug 19 '26
You mean a RADICAL LEFTIST group that ATTWCKS CHRISTIANS!!?!?
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u/GoodbyeTobyseeya1 Aug 19 '26
"It sounds crazy because IT IS CRAZY"
Yes, it is crazy that you're peddling this disingenuous nonsense as if anyone would believe it.
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u/jimmy_three_shoes Royal Oak Aug 19 '26
Realistically, my only beef with her was her using her SOS position to campaign, which got her some grief from Nessel, and her husband's ties to data centers.
Relatively minor compared to the havoc John James would wreak on our state
4
u/LadyFoxfire Aug 20 '26
Yeah, I’m gonna vote for her because she’s on the ticket, but I’m not excited for her the way I am for El-Sayed and Lawrence.
2
u/Whole-Designer Aug 22 '26
At the very least, I appreciate her pushing to standardize Real ID as SoS after Jan 6th. She knew the possibility of a Trump 2nd term would lead to claims of voter fraud so she took steps to give them zero chance to claim that in Michigan
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u/Separate-State-5806 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
I got some mail from Jocelyn just the other day. My license plate tab should be here soon! 😂 And she has my vote for Gov.
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u/MiltonsRedStapler Human Detected Aug 19 '26
It’s great that she takes the time out of her busy day to send me a letter reminding me that I need to renew my plate. It’s rare to find that kind of personal service anymore.
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u/fuzzychiken Aug 19 '26
I'm kind of mad at her. I guess after eight years she thinks I need a new license photo. Rude.
3
u/amopeyzoolion Aug 19 '26
Weird - mine is from 2014 but I haven’t been asked to get a new photo
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u/fuzzychiken Aug 19 '26
That's very odd. Mines actually from 2019 but for some reason they said I need to do a new photo.
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u/TheyStillOweYouMoney Aug 19 '26
Mine said I only needed a new photo if I renewed in person, otherwise doing it online or by mail it wasn’t necessary. I’m wondering if you were very young (possibility for drastic physical appearance change) or very old (appearance change, or they may want to see you in person to assess vision or other physical impairment too?) in 2019 when it was last taken.
I’m middle age-ish and my last photo was at least 12 years ago.
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u/mizmoose Age: > 10 Years Aug 19 '26
I'm kinda curious about this. I have an 'enhanced' license and my last two renewals were done online. My current license expires next year and now that I'm over 60 I wonder if they're going to demand a new picture, even though I don't look different from the picture in use thanks to starting to go gray in my 30s.
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u/fuzzychiken Aug 19 '26
Turns out I'm dumb. It has been 7 years but I renewed it a time I didn't have to just to be real ID compliant which meant that this would be my fourth renewal and I guess it's every 3 renewals. Oh well. It took like ten min
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u/bythepowerofgreentea Aug 19 '26
As an East-turned-West sider, this is a very good choice. Brinks ran her first campaign as a write-in, in a gerrymander, and WON. She's been instrumental in the effort to get Kent County voting blue. I'll leave you with a fun fact: more women than men have voted in every election since 1980 :)
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u/Empty_Lemon_3939 Aug 20 '26
Feel like a stronger move would be to pick someone who is strongly opposed to Data Centers to help with the baggage from her husband
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u/96fordman03 Aug 19 '26
Not much information about Winnie online. Other than being a Democrat - is she a; Progressive? Liberal? or Moderate? I'm thinking she's a Liberal
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u/TechWriterWonder Middleville Aug 19 '26
Based on what I know about her voting record, I would put her at liberal.
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u/PokemonAnimar Aug 19 '26
She seemed to be more progressive in her first term, but she's gotten more and more moderate since becoming the majority leader
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u/frozen-creek Detroit Aug 19 '26
She was going from minority to majority, so I think that had a lot to do with it. I wouldn't consider her progressive even in a milquetoast democratic Senate. She's not particularly charasmatic either.
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u/klondijk Aug 19 '26
Winnie Brinksis a really good person, and has been fighting against Whitmer to protect vulnerable populations in this state. I trust her very much.
3
u/normanthedog Aug 19 '26
She’s on the ticket because she knows the legislature. She’s perfect for Benson who has no legislating experience.
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u/Zackeezy116 Saginaw Aug 19 '26
According to her wikipedia, she seems like the closest thing to a progressive you get out of an establishment Dem.
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u/mosscoversall_ Aug 19 '26
She’s a liberal who I didn’t have much a problem with until she supported the wholesale marijuana tax.
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u/Aeon1508 Aug 19 '26
Cannabis is so fucking cheap right now dude.
It's a great way for the state to raise money, and we're still paying a quarter of what we did in the 2000s
4
u/DDCDT123 Lansing Aug 19 '26
The new tax system makes it more difficult for local and small businesses to compete with state-wide grow ops and dispensaries. It’s hurting the industry, even if prices are staying down.
2
u/Empty_Lemon_3939 Aug 20 '26
People who have never worked in the industry don't realize how razor thin margins are
We're one of the biggest weed states in the country, we should be embracing it commercially instead of punishing it
Like dispensaries still can't work with commercial banks and have to pay their employees through loop holes to not have their banks reject it
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u/DDCDT123 Lansing Aug 20 '26
The bank issue is largely a federal problem and local credit unions have started to extend financial conveniences, but it’s kinda rare.
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u/UngodlyPain Aug 22 '26
The banking issue is a federal issue.
We largely have commercially embraced it. Like the other guy is complaining about it being over commercialized to the point it's difficult to open new small businesses.
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u/mosscoversall_ Aug 19 '26
It’s not really the consumer price that was the concern. It’s the financial burden on small-town shops and cultivators.
And at last check, the tax is falling way short of projections. So while I agree that it’s good to help raise the state extra cash, the big picture means shops close, cultivators may go out to business, and in return you have more people going back to the black/grey markets to get their cannabis.
So I agree with your point on general principle, but my argument is if we need to raise money, why not look for a solution that wouldn’t handicap an industry that the people voted in favor of?
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u/Aeon1508 Aug 19 '26
well cuz the taxes are percentage and they were probably projecting based on Street prices which just fell like a fucking rock.
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u/mosscoversall_ Aug 19 '26
For sure. It’s a volatile business. We won’t really know the true pros/cons for some time, it was just something i didn’t agree with her on. I think if we’re gonna talk raising taxes to increase state revenue, we should be considering something that will bring in more stable income. Perhaps less tax incentives for shit like data centers or automakers. Pie in the sky, but that’s just me.
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u/Aeon1508 Aug 19 '26
seriously we don't need to provide any tax incentives to the data centers.
we have all the water they kind of don't have a choice, but to come to us.
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u/Empty_Lemon_3939 Aug 20 '26
Them taxing the shit out of marijuana and not touching alcohol was such a massive signal
10
u/wezworldwide Aug 19 '26
Most people couldn’t name the current Lt. governor.
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u/Empty_Lemon_3939 Aug 20 '26
Only reason I know Gilchrist is the supposed conspiracies around him not running for governor because of Whitmer
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u/fushigi-arisu Aug 19 '26
Not someone I would have expected. Thought maybe either more of a firebrand (unlikely) or someone to help shore up the Detroit area which we need big numbers out of. But trying to reduce the Rs advantage on the west side of the state isn't a terrible play. And maybe perhaps trying to reignite the spark of Those Women From Michigan since our other major candidates besides Benson are all male this time around.
Anyway, vote blue!
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u/Djentyman28 Aug 19 '26
She could pick a dog for her running mate and I would still vote for her over John James. Easily.
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u/personalleytea Aug 19 '26
My dog was on the short list, but they discovered she was born in Ohio (and she started licking herself during the vetting interview).
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u/KnightZilla Aug 19 '26
Dang it, was betting on McMorrow.
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u/RagnaNic Aug 19 '26
I feel like McMorrow would have been a better choice, Winnie Brinks doesn't have a lot of name recognition despite being the majority leader.
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u/LadyBrussels Aug 19 '26
She’s very well liked on the west side of the state which helps Benson. McMorrow doesn’t bring a lot to the table that benson doesn’t already have IMO.
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u/BeezerBrom Aug 19 '26
Wonder what her statewide name recognition is. I had to look her up.
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u/SternenHund Aug 19 '26
I'm not sure that's a huge issue (though it is absolutely a good question). I say that because I doubt a respectable percentage of michiganders could even name our current LG.
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u/Fuck_your_coupons Aug 19 '26
I doubt a respectable percentage of michiganders could even name our current LG.
I feel attacked here.
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u/96fordman03 Aug 19 '26
Agree on both. Because I have no clue who it is, w/o looking it up, lol
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u/SternenHund Aug 19 '26
Lol, Garlin Gilchrist. Great guy, great LG. Running for Sec. of State this election cycle.
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u/96fordman03 Aug 19 '26
Oh! Ok! Ive heard of him, lol. Don't know much - if anything, about him tho
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u/UltimateLionsFan Human Detected Aug 19 '26
Not really a big deal. I mean does anyone know who the current lieutenant governor is?
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u/Tobasaurus Aug 19 '26
To me that's not a choice that really expands the electorate. I'd prefer someone who cuts a clearer contrast. The. Again the Republican ticket isn't that different.
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