Fellow advocates, community members, and Michiganders,
I am proud to share my support for Jocelyn Benson to become the next Governor of the State of Michigan. I believe she is a leader who genuinely cares about people, fairness, and public service. Her long track record as a champion for human rights and civil rights shows she is also committed to protecting everyone’s dignity, no matter their background or life story.
As Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson has worked to protect our voting rights and democracy and ensure that every citizen’s vote counts. Known for being a kind, honest, and thoughtful person who treats others with respect, she has also fought to make sure every person has a voice. Jocelyn listens to communities, respects families, and works hard to make government serve the people. A steadfast defender of women’s rights, she has also fought to protect reproductive freedoms and equal opportunities for all women.
Because Jocelyn’s work is rooted in civil rights, she understands the deep impact of mass incarceration and racial injustice. Her legal background gives her a strong foundation needed for smart, humane justice reform. She recognizes that true justice requires second chances and she believes people can change. She also understands that true safety comes from rehabilitation, fairness, and hope. As governor, her background will help guide thoughtful decision-making to improve how we address harm and public safety.
In addition to criminal legal reform, Jocelyn supports goals outlined on her official campaign website available at: https://jocelynbenson.com. Items on her agenda that reflect her heart and vision, which lift up every family across Michigan, include:
- Lowering Costs & Expanding Healthcare: Making prescription drugs, housing, and healthcare more affordable.
- Investing in Public Education: Fully funding public schools, supporting teachers, and helping students succeed from pre-K through college.
- Supporting Working Families: Defending workers’ rights, creating good-paying jobs, and raising wages.
- Keeping Communities Safe: Promoting common-sense gun safety laws to protect our children and neighborhoods.
- Environmental Justice: Supporting clean air, safe drinking water, and protection from pollution for every community — no matter its zip code.
Specific information regarding Jocelyn’s career and its gubernatorial relevance appears below this message.
Jocelyn Benson has the legal background, compassion, and leadership needed to move our state forward. She has dedicated her life fighting for fairness, and I trust she will continue that work for every person in our state. I encourage you to join me in supporting her candidacy for Governor to build a more just and prosperous Michigan.
In Solidarity,
Efrén Paredes Jr.
Founder
Support Michigan Prison Reform
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JOCELYN BENSON CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
During her career, Jocelyn Benson worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center investigating far-right hate groups, organizations, and white supremacist cells. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she served as a law clerk in Detroit to Judge Damon J. Keith, a prominent civil rights jurist. She served as Associate Director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and taught election law at Wayne State University Law School. In 2012, she was appointed Dean at age 35, becoming the youngest woman to lead an accredited U.S. law school.
Jocelyn was also CEO of Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a national non-profit organization that partnered with major professional sports leagues, university athletic programs, and community leaders to improve race relations and drive social justice initiatives. She co-founded Military Spouses of Michigan, a nonpartisan support network dedicated to providing community resources, advocacy, and direct assistance to military families and spouses living in Michigan. And, she has served as Michigan’s Secretary of State since 2019, expanding voter access under voter-approved constitutional amendments and managing statewide election security protocols, in addition to a number of public services she has competently delivered statewide.
In these roles, Jocelyn has developed an array of skills that have helped prepare her to be a strong leader and governor by:
- Understanding domestic security, hate crime prevention, and public safety challenges affecting marginalized communities;
- Developing a foundation in constitutional jurisprudence, statutory interpretation, judicial procedure, and legal equity under the law;
- Demonstrating executive administration, large budget management, higher education policy reform, institutional restructuring, and commitment to transparent state oversight;
- Showing experience running a national organization, building public-private partnerships, and driving consensus across broad racial, political, and cultural divides;
- Reflecting direct engagement with military families, veteran support systems, and community-level public advocacy; and
- Offering direct experience managing a major state government agency, executing legislative mandates, overseeing thousands of civil service employees, and delivering public services efficiently statewide.
