Back in January of this year, Jocelyn Benson, the current Secretary of State in Michigan, held a press conference inside a state-owned building to launch her 2026 campaign for governor. This week, the state attorney general determined that this was in violation of the state's campaign finance law.
The good news for Benson is the only formal punishment she'll face is a warning (presumably not to do it again). This is because there currently is nothing in the law to deal with this specific set of circumstances. It broke a norm. The folks who wrote the law never anticipated that an active Secretary of State would do something like this.
The bad news for Benson is that she's facing political punishment for her mistake. Yes, she had intended to give the press conference outside her office building, and, yes, it seemed sensible on a frigid winter day to move it inside to the lobby. But Benson and her team should have been aware of the situation. She wants to be governor, after all. The leader needs to know what the laws are and abide by them.
You know, just like the President of the United States does.
Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
