16 | NOVEMBER 3 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

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Secretary of State
Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson
is facing Republican challenger Kristina
Karamo. Karamo’s campaign did not
respond to the JN’s questions.

Jocelyn Benson

DESCRIBE YOUR TOP
THREE PRIORITIES IF
ELECTED?
In a second term, my top
priorities will be to continue
the strides we’ve made in
improving service Michigan
residents are experiencing
at the Secretary of
State’s Office. Under my
administration, government works for
everyone — Republican, Democrat and
Independent. Further, I will continue to fight
to save democracy in Michigan and across
the country by ensuring that every voice is
heard and every vote is counted.

WHAT ARE MICHIGAN’S GREATEST
CHALLENGES AND BEST
OPPORTUNITIES?
Our greatest challenge is fighting
the misinformation campaign that is
targeting our state. Our best opportunity
is to preserve democracy and serve as an
example to the nation that the legacy our
founding fathers left us works.

HOW WILL YOU WORK TO CLOSE
THE POLITICAL DIVIDE THAT SEEMS
TO DOMINATE MUCH OF THE
POLITICAL AGENDA?
In a second term, I believe there will
be an excellent opportunity to bridge the
political divide that exists in Lansing.
The people of Michigan will have spoken
which will set the stage for the work that
needs to be done. For my part, I will
continue to focus on making sure the
government works for everyone whether
they are Republicans, Democrats or
Independents. Reducing wait times and
improving efficiency isn’t a partisan issue,
nor is protecting the integrity of elections
and making sure every vote is counted
securely and accurately.

HOW MIGHT YOU WORK TO
ENHANCE THE LONG AND RICH
HISTORY BETWEEN THE STATE

OF MICHIGAN AND THE STATE OF
ISRAEL?
Michigan has a long-standing tradition
of supporting the State of Israel and
working with them on projects that
are important to both of us. A perfect
example is the Michigan Israel Business
Accelerator, a nonprofit that targets six
strategic focus areas that align with the
strengths shared by the Michigan and
Israeli ecosystems. While the Secretary
of State’s Office has no direct role in that
working relationship, I will continue to
support Israel’s friends in Michigan so that
work — and the many other relationships
that exist — can continue.

CONGRESSIONAL RACES
CONGRESSIONAL RACES

7th Congressional District
Democratic incumbent Elissa Slotkin is
facing Republican challenger Tom Barrett
in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.
Michigan’s congressional district boundaries
were redrawn after the 2020 census. Slotkin
was first elected to represent Michigan’s 8th
Congressional District in 2018. The redrawn
7th District includes Clinton, Ingham,
Livingston and Shiawassee counties, most
of Eaton County, parts of Oakland and
Genesee Counties, and Lansing.

Elissa Slotkin

ELISSA SLOTKIN
DESCRIBE YOUR TOP
THREE PRIORITIES IF
ELECTED.
I’m in Congress to
defend and expand
the middle class. That
means I’m focused on
bringing down the cost
of healthcare, stopping
inflation, and protecting the right to choose.
A lot of Michiganders are paying more
for their medication than their mortgage.
That’s why the Inflation Reduction Act is so
important. It lets Medicare negotiate with
drug companies and caps drug costs for
seniors and Medicare recipients. I’m also
working across the aisle to pull every lever
I can to lower inflation. I helped lead the
bill suspending the federal gas tax, I pushed
the Biden administration to open up the
Strategic National Reserve and negotiate
harder with foreign oil producers like Saudi

Arabia, and I voted to stop companies from
price gouging. Finally, the issue people
talk about more than any other is choice.
I’ve spoken to women in the district who
are deeply religious and who would never
have an abortion. But those same women
say that they’ve never walked in another
woman’s shoes and would never dictate
to someone else what she can do with
her body. That’s what Roe embodied: the
freedom for women to make this choice
themselves. That’s what we should protect.

WHAT ARE MICHIGAN’S GREATEST
CHALLENGES AND BEST
OPPORTUNITIES?
Michigan’s biggest challenge is our
economic security. We want to ensure
that we’re building the next generation
of manufacturing goods. But this is also
our biggest opportunity — if we’re willing
to work for it. The question we’ve got to
ask ourselves is simple: Do we want to be
in control of our economic security and
our economic future? I want Michigan
to make the next generation of cars, the
next generation of batteries, and the
next generation of components. I want
to bring our supply chains home from
places like China. That’s why the new GM
factory in Lansing is so important. It’s
not just the 5,000 jobs coming with the
deal — it’s also the 3 jobs that each one
of those brings to our small businesses
and supply chains here. The same is true
with the CHIPS Act. I want those jobs
producing microchips in Michigan. But
in order to do that, we need to compete.
The choice facing our state is clear. We
can either make things here, or we can
let them go elsewhere. I know what
side I’m on: I’m Team Michigan. Most
people — Republicans, Democrats, and
Independents — are too. The future of our
state shouldn’t be partisan.

HOW WILL YOU WORK TO CLOSE
THE POLITICAL DIVIDE THAT SEEMS
TO DOMINATE MUCH OF THE
POLITICAL AGENDA?
It’s clear to all of us that the tone and
tenor of our politics have become toxic.
It’s unbecoming of the country we love,
the country I’ve served my whole life.
Though this is a dark moment in our