16 | NOVEMBER 3 • 2022 

OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 15
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 

