Jocelyn Benson on Wednesday, Aug. 19 chose Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks as her running mate, setting the stage for the Democratic ticket in Michigan’s governor’s race. The announcement came at an event in Grand Rapids, where Benson said Brinks would join her on the statewide ticket if voters send them to office.
The selection puts Winnie Brinks, who has served in the Michigan Senate since 2019, at the center of Benson’s campaign at a moment when the race is starting to define the choice for November. Brinks represents Grand Rapids and brings legislative experience to a ticket that Benson is trying to present as ready to govern from day one.
If the two win, they would make history in Michigan as the first female governor and lieutenant governor pairing to serve together. That detail gives the pick more than campaign symbolism; it makes the running mate choice part of the race’s larger stakes, with Benson and Brinks offering voters the possibility of a state executive ticket that Michigan has never had before.
But the contrast in the race is just as sharp on the other side. Republican gubernatorial candidate John James has already announced Michigan Rep. Jay DeBoyer as his running mate, and James himself could become Michigan’s first Black governor if elected. That means both major tickets are carrying pieces of history, though in very different ways, and the governor’s race is now being shaped as much by what each side could represent as by who is on the ballot.
For Benson, the Brinks choice settles one of the race’s biggest unanswered questions and locks in a partner with Senate leadership experience and a base in Grand Rapids. The next step is the campaign itself, where the ticket will have to turn that announcement into a case for governing Michigan rather than simply making history.
