HORNET’S NEST

Just when it looked like Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s gubernatorial race for the Democratic candidacy would be smooth sailing, with Mike Duggan dropping out and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson barely making a dent in the public’s radar, comes a brouhaha over a previous board position she held (2014-2018) with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which recently was indicted by the an Alabama federal grand jury on 11 counts, including conspiracy to commit money laundering in its alleged effort to plant sources within white supremacist groups. At the Mackinac Policy Conference, Benson said her position, which she held while she was dean of the Wayne State University School of Law, was mostly ceremonial, and she thought the indictment seemed “political and retaliatory,” noting the federal government operated similarly in the 1960s to go after civil rights organizations. Prior to this indictment, many have viewed the SPLC as a reputable nonprofit civil rights organization. Michigan’s House Republicans have called for an investigation of Benson’s involvement. One local Republican noted that GOP party members are using it as a “cudgel against her, along with her husband’s work on data centers.” Benson’s husband, Ryan Friedrichs, is a vice president with The Related Companies, and until recently, managed Michigan-specific real estate projects, including large data centers.

Jocelyn Benson