Michigan secretary of state defeats election denial candidate to win second term

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is projected to win reelection, defeating Republican candidate Kristina Karamo.

Benson defeated Karamo with 55.4 percent of the vote compared to her challenger’s 42.3 percent, with just more than 87 percent of precincts reporting, according to a tabulation from The Associated Press.

Karamo, who was endorsed by former President Trump, has frequently cast doubt on the results of Michigan’s 2020 presidential election, a state that President Biden carried two years ago. 

Karamo was one of several secretary of state candidates across the country who ran on a platform of election denial, leading to concerns about the potential impact on the 2024 presidential election. In many states, the secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections.

Karamo attempted to change the counting of absentee voting practices in the city of Detroit, filing a last-minute lawsuit that was rejected by a Michigan judge on Monday. 

The Republican candidate filed the lawsuit just 13 days before the 2022 midterm election, seeking to require Detroit voters to cast their ballots in person or pick up absentee ballots in person. She alleged violations in the counting of absentee ballots.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny rejected Karamo’s arguments in a scathing ruling that accused the candidate of raising a “false flag.”