Michigan Secretary of State Joceyln Benson says she’ll maintain a firewall between herself and elections officials overseeing this year’s race to become the next governor.

Some view the Democrat as her party’s heir apparent to term-limited Gretchen Whitmer.

But Benson says her bid for governor stems from a very personal place.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Jocelyn Benson: I’m a mom of a nine-year-old little boy. And in 10 years he’s going to be deciding what he’s going to do with his life. I want Michigan to be the best place in the country for him or anyone else to choose to call home, to build a career, to build a family. So it is personal for me. I want to make sure Michigan is leading in every metric possible so that it truly is the best place in the nation to be a kid and to raise a kid and to retire. But in a lot of ways, we’re not that right now.

I think there’s a lot of reasons why. But it’s clear to me that the next governor of this state needs to be prepared on day one to streamline how government works. Drive down costs on everything from healthcare to housing to our energy costs. Build our economy so that we’re diversifying and creating more well-paying jobs. And be prepared to work with the federal government when required to accomplish those goals, but also be ready to stand up to even the president of the United States if he would try to interfere with our rights, freedoms, security, safety, privacy, or our democracy.

I’ve done all those things as secretary of state and I’m ready to do it as the next governor.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: You mentioned a few there, but in terms of the issues facing people in Michigan, what do you see as the most vital right now?

JB: Without a doubt, the fact that the cost of everything is going up while our wages are stagnant. It’s heartbreaking. I’m hearing stories all across the state. A mom in Muskegon who is struggling to cover health care costs for her family and choosing to go without health care for herself so that she could cover it for her kids. Impossible choices. Seniors in Flint who told me they have to literally decide in a given month whether to eat or pay for their medicine. One small business owner in Saginaw told me he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his doors open because of these chaotic tariffs that are causing him to potentially lose his inventory. That’s while rising energy costs from month to month make it hard for him to just pay to keep the lights on. So, it’s clear the anxiety, the challenges that so many Michiganders are facing right now, given that these rising costs are just out of control.

But we also need to grow our economy. About 60% of jobs in the state pay $60,000 or less. That’s impossible to sustain in an economy like this one. So we have to invest in the growth of new, well-paying jobs, diversify our economy and invest in clean energy, clean tech as well. Those are the jobs of tomorrow that can help us ensure that my kid and every one of our loved ones in this state can build their career here and get a well-paying job while being able to afford to live in the communities they want to live in, pay their bills and thrive.

QK: If you were elected, what could you do from the executive level as governor to actually address some of those issues?

JB: A lot of it I’ve done as secretary of state. I’m the CEO of one of our state’s largest agencies. And I’ve been able to transform it to ensure we’re cutting wasteful spending, while also reinvesting in our employees and our operations. We’ve eliminated wait times, we’ve made it easy and affordable to renew your license, renew your plates. If all of state government worked that well, it would be a lot easier and more cost effective to build homes, making them more affordable. We can reform our Department of Health and Human Services to streamline how people get access to the benefits they’re already entitled to, in a way that reduces costs and enables us to reduce premiums as well. We can ensure we’re reforming our economic development corporation and our agencies that focus on economic growth to invest in new and emerging economies as well as small business growth.

I’d like to make Michigan the small business capital of the nation. That requires it to be as easy as possible to start and grow your business. And a lot of that is just making government more efficient, while also sitting down with regional economic hubs to grow what’s working in Muskegon, what’s working in other parts of the state. So that when we see other local governments reducing costs in an effective way, we’re amplifying that work and expanding it statewide.

But it all starts and ends with a well-run state government, agencies that are actually showing up when you need it, getting out of the way when you don’t. Saving people time, saving people money. And a lot of that is tied up in public education as well. I say this also as a mom, I want to make sure we are partnering with our local governments to invest and turn around the defunding of schools that has really made it difficult for many teachers, educators and others to meet our needs. Take our schools from being at the bottom of far too many rankings to being at the top.

QK: You mentioned earlier about “standing up” to President Trump. Gov. Whitmer had a contentious relationship with him when the pandemic erupted. But then she also worked with him on issues like preventing invasive carp from getting into the Great Lakes. And it seemed to get some traction, where people like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker did not from his contentious relationship with Trump. If you were elected, how do you see balancing working with the Trump administration and the president in particular?

JB: I’ll always work with anyone if it helps us drive down costs for Michiganders, take on polluters or other bad actors that are driving up costs. I’ll work with anyone who will help us create well-paying jobs in our state. I’ve been proud to do that as secretary of state, particularly when it comes to working with a Republican legislature, to get things done.

But I’ve also been very clear about standing unafraid up to anyone, whether they be wealthy or powerful, the most powerful person in the United States, if they try to interfere with the safety, the rights, the freedoms, the votes of our citizens. At the end of the day, my job is to stand up for the Michiganders who I will be elected to represent. And fight for their freedom, fight for their safety, fight for an economy that ensures everyone can thrive. And that does mean being willing to and ready to effectively stand up to anyone who would try to get in the way of that, enact tariffs that would drive up costs or potentially interfere with our elections.

QK: As secretary of state, you’re running in an election that you’re tasked with overseeing. Some of your opponents have complained it’s not fair that you can “referee your own game.” What’s your reaction to those kinds of comments?

JB: First, I agree we need to make sure we have very clear firewalls and delineations between partisan officials and election administrators. And we actually do have that in Michigan. Our elections are run at the local level by 1,500 clerks and 83 county clerks, and then we have our non-partisan Bureau of Elections. But in addition to that, I think it’s important to note that candidates who have come before me, not just in Michigan but in many other states, have also run for office while serving as secretary of state. So what I’m doing is no different. But what I am doing differently this time is making sure we are building that firewall so we are acting in a way that’s transparent, leading with integrity and actually becoming a model for how to ensure state’s chief election officers are continuing to run for office, if that presents itself, while ensuring the integrity of elections and operations.

QK: You’re running in a gubernatorial election now that’s a little bit different than ones in the past. You have someone who could be a viable independent candidate, the former mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan, who was a well-known Democrat for a long, long time until recently. There are some political pundits that say they worry that’s going to hurt the Benson campaign, that Duggan would pull Democrat votes away from you. Do you have concerns about that?

JB: I’m not a pundit so I can’t really prognosticate on all those pieces. But what I can say is I do think the choice that’s going to be facing voters this fall, what they need to be looking at as they elect the next governor of the state, is the question of who does the governor actually work for? Do you work for the people? Do you work for corporate interests? Do you work for Donald Trump? Because I want every citizen in Michigan to know, no matter what side of the political aisle they may be on, that I work for them, that I will stand up for them. Then when I’m faced with a choice, the voices in my head, the focus of my heart will be “what do the people of Michigan need? Not my highest corporate funder, not the president of the United States. What do the people of Michigan need from me?

Michigan elects a new governor this year and WDET is talking to the candidates vying to replace term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

One of those in the crowded Republican field for governor is former Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard. He wants to lower taxes and reduce government spending.

But Leonard says he’s also running to protect the future for Michigan’s children, including his own kids.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tom Leonard: There’s three very simple reasons why I’m doing this. And those are Hannah, Thomas, and Danny. That’s our nine-year-old, our six-year-old, and our now 20-month-old.

When you look at the state of our state right now, the unemployment, the lack of income growth, a quarter of our population right now suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment. The list goes on.

We are doing this because the last thing that we want is for one of our kids to come to us in the next 15-20 years and say, “Dad, we’d love to stay in the greatest state in the country. But unfortunately we have to leave because there’s no opportunity for us here in Michigan.” That’s why we’re doing this.

Education serves as a foundation

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: If you were elected governor, how would you try to address some of that?

TL: There are so many things that we have got to get done to turn this state around. One of the biggest issues that I’m focused on right now is education. Fourth graders right now in this state cannot read at a proficient level. Quinn, that is our foundation, that is our base. And I can tell you as a former prosecutor, if somebody has to drop out of school because they’re illiterate, you have created a pipeline to a welfare check or a prison cell.

I believe we need to make Michigan a right-to-work state again. Growth states in this country are right-to-work states. I believe we need to phase out the income tax.

I hear many of these candidates out there gaslighting people across the state, saying that they’re going to eliminate the state income tax on day one. That’s despite the fact that the legislature isn’t even sworn in until nearly two weeks after the governor comes into office.

I would say look at my past track record and my history. That’s what we did when I was speaker. And when I’m the state’s next governor that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to get these big-ticket items across the finish line.

Mental health crisis

QK: You mentioned education. What other issues do you think are vitally important at the moment to Michigan?

TL: I seem to be the one candidate out there right now that’s talking about this mental health crisis. As I said, a quarter of our population suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment.

I believe it starts with ending the stigma that comes attached when somebody is diagnosed with a mental health issue. Think about this for a moment. If you or somebody is diagnosed with something physically, what do they typically do? They go to their friends, they go to their family, they go to their place of worship, they ask for prayer, they start treatment.

Sadly, when people are diagnosed with a mental health issue, they are scared. They don’t know what to do. We’ve got to end the stigma that comes attached.

Energy policy reform

TL: Energy costs. This is a big one right now as I travel the state. I’m hearing more and more of people that can no longer afford their electricity bills. Frankly, we’ve got a broken system. We’ve got a Michigan Public Service Commission that no longer works for the people of this state. They work for two monopoly utilities. They sign off on every single rate increase that they ask for.

Enough is enough. We are the one campaign that has put forth a plan to not only bring choice and competition to the state and the utility monopolies, but also shake up the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Right now those regulators, who dictate our rates, are three unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor. That is way too much power given to the governor. The governor should never control those appointments. Our plan calls for increasing the Michigan Public Service Commission from three to five members, only giving the governor two appointments.

The other appointments would be made by the attorney general, the speaker of the Michigan house and the senate majority leader. These are the types of bold solutions we are putting on the table to address the problems that the people of this state are facing.

Data centers feed into energy problems

QK: There’s been concerns raised by some people about the possibility of rate increases and energy or water problems from the advent of data centers across the state. From some of your past statements, it sounds like you’re not exactly a fan of data centers.

TL: The one being proposed right now that’s being built in Saline Township is 1.4 gigawatts. That is equivalent to the energy used by a million homes. There’s now one being proposed in Van Buren that’s nearly double that, with energy use equal to 2 million homes. Quinn, there are only 4.5 million homes in this entire state. Two industrial-sized data centers alone that they’re proposing would equal the energy for 3 million homes.

I don’t want these things driving-up our energy rates. We need to end the tax subsidies that come attached with these things.

The legislature a couple years ago passed legislation to give tens of millions of dollars to these big tech data centers. They should not be taking money out of our pockets and putting it in the hands of big tech to go out and buy up our farmland. So, end the subsidies.

We need to ban the use of non-disclosure agreements. You’ve got these local governments that are signing these NDA’s. The local citizens have no idea who’s going to be built in their area. They have no idea who’s going to be running these data centers.

These data centers do not create long-term jobs. Yet there is the risk that they are going to drive up our energy rates. And every time I push back on this energy issue, people say, “Well, they’re going to be regulated.” And then I ask the question, “Who’s going to regulate them?” “The Michigan Public Service Commission.” And I say, “So the same three regulators that have given us some of the highest electricity rates in the country, the same three regulators that refuse to tell DTE Energy and Consumers Energy ‘No,’ we are now going to allow to regulate these data centers?” I don’t think so.

I fear that they’re going to drive up our rates. We’ve already got the highest rates in the Midwest and some of the highest in the country. We cannot afford to pay more on our electricity bills.

What to do about political division

QK: It’s no secret how politically divided not only lawmakers but the country and the state as a whole are nowadays. Do you think it’s possible that anyone who would be governor will be able to bring people together at this point in time? Or is it just simply a matter of, “We’ve got to go forward with our policies and hope the other side comes along at some point?”

TL: I believe Democrats gave Republicans a playbook two years ago for what happens when you wake up every day and you have no vision and your only focus is hatred of one person. You lose. And I believe, as a Republican, if Republicans wake up every day and their only focus is hatred of Democrats, they will lose.

They’ve got to put forth a vision. That’s why every single day I’m focused on tackling problems, not people. I’m going to stay bold in my convictions, I’m a strong conservative. I don’t shy away from that. But there is nothing wrong with working across the aisle when it comes to accomplishing things for our state. We’ve actually labeled it the “Dan Campbell” approach.

You may recall when Coach Campbell became the coach of the Lions and he stood on that stage at the first press conference. He didn’t focus on six decades of failure. He didn’t cast blame. He didn’t point the finger. He just simply said, “We’ve got a problem here. And with a lot of grit, a lot of determination, working together with a positive vision every single day, we’re going to turn this program around.”

If Coach Campbell was able to turn the absolute worst sports franchise in the history of all mankind around with that type of vision, we can do the same thing for this state.

Michigan elects a new governor this year.

The crowded field of candidates for the governor’s office includes former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.

The Republican contender says his background has shaped his run for the top job in Lansing.

Interview edited for length and clarity

Mike Cox: Just a generation ago, my parents came to Michigan because it was the greatest state in the greatest nation. They were immigrants, legal immigrants, and literally my dad used to tell us when we were growing up as kids that the streets were paved with gold when he got here. That’s how so many generations of Americans have viewed Michigan.

And right now, as football coaches tell us, the numbers tell the story. You are what your record says you are. And every single month we’re dwelling at the bottom in unemployment.

Just 12 years ago, we were middle of the pack in fourth grade reading, middling, and we’ve shrunk all the way back to the bottom.

The flip side of that is my granddaughters, kind of fortuitously, are growing up in Mississippi. In the past 12 years, they went from 49th to 9th. That’s why they call it the Mississippi Miracle. It’s been a miracle for my grandkids.

So why am I running for governor? We’ve been in decline too long. And I know I can build a team that’ll lead us back to victory, to make Michigan the state my parents remembered.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: You mentioned several issues there.  Which do you see as the most important to voters in Michigan?

MC: The most important are the three “E’s.” That’s education, employment/economy and emigration with an “e.” That means outbound migration, folks leaving us. And that’s really a function of education and the economy.

Over the past seven years we’ve had a state government that’s grown by 54%. $31 billion in new spending. And Quinn, that is killing affordability here in Michigan. You overlay that with Gov. Whitmer’s clean energy plan, which many, including me, call a scam. We now have the highest energy rates in the Midwest.

It makes it much less competitive to do business here in Michigan. So people are heading south. I’m not just talking about Florida, Tennessee, Texas. I’m talking about Indiana and Ohio. They’re the ones who are picking our pockets. And as governor, we can change that.

Spending less, improving education

QK: If you were elected governor, how would you address those issues specifically? Especially if you would still have to deal with a politically-divided legislature.

MC: Look, I was a prosecutor here in Detroit for 13 years before I was elected attorney general. Across the region, people want their kids to be able to read by the third grade, right? So, in terms of fixing education, states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi are now leading the country and doing it with much less money than we in Michigan spend. What do they do?

Number one, they require every kid to be able to read by third grade. Pretty simple. Number two, make sure every kid gets taught phonics the same way. Pretty simple. If a kid’s struggling, such as my granddaughter who is autistic, they get a tutor. Number four, provide coaching for teachers. And then number five, grade every public school, including charters. That allows parents, grandparents, and property taxpayers to see how their local school is doing.

Those five things have turned Mississippi around. And they’re doing it with 40% less spending per child, through every single demographic. We can do that. It’s doable right now.

Eliminating income tax

MC: In terms of eliminating income tax, it’s just simple. What are the most dynamic states in the nation right now? There’s Florida, Tennessee and Texas, like I mentioned, but also Wyoming, New Hampshire, cold weather states, South Dakota, Nevada. What do they all have in common? They all have different economies but they all have no income tax.

That helps small business owners, folks doing what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years since I disappeared from politics and built a business. It would cut the state corporate tax on 900,000 small businesses here in Michigan. And what then happens? The owner there can buy another stove or hire another server or consider opening another facility, right? It means the owner of a tool and die shop might send her employees for new training or buy a new machine.

Governors cannot pick winners and losers. Wall Street can’t even do that. But you can lower the burden on every small businessman and woman, make decisions quicker in terms of permitting and licensing. Doesn’t make anything less safe, but makes the process quicker.

You accelerate, you join the cadence, the velocity of what business needs to succeed. And this state will grow more prosperous.

What replaces income tax funds?

QK: If you eliminate the state income tax, that would erase a fair amount of revenue that comes into the state. How would you replace it?

MC: When I was elected attorney general in a close statewide race—I was the only Republican to ever beat Democrat Gary Peters—I didn’t know we were about to walk into the “lost decade.” For seven or eight years we were in a one state recession. And the rest of the country joined us during the Great Recession.

As you can imagine, our caseload jumped about 10%. At the same time, each and every year I was getting less money from the legislature. I had to reduce the size of my staff by 21%. No one ever does that in government. But I did it because it was required.

So what do you do at the state level? You do what Ford, GM, and Chrysler do. You turn to your vendors and you squeeze them for money. We upgrade technology. Without the goal, we’re never going to get there. And we will start to attract people again. Our revenues will actually grow as each and every year you see Tennessee growing, Texas growing. People are moving there. They’re staying there.

What does it mean? For a young couple trying to save up for that first home, a couple years without the income tax means they get the nest egg to plant roots right here in Michigan. For 900,000 small businesses, which are more than 99% of all the businesses in Michigan, it would be a tax cut. They would be able to hire more people, employ more people. The income tax is $13 billion every year. Michigan’s government, under the governor’s current proposal, will have grown $31 billion over seven years. That’s over twice what it would take to eliminate the income tax.

And I’ve taken on big fights and won. That includes utilities, when I saved ratepayers over $3 billion when I intervened. Whether it’s Blue Cross, when I helped stick up for individual payers and seniors, or whether it’s government in terms of affirmative action, I’m a guy who sticks up for the little guy and little woman.