OPTIONS TRADER
- Jul 20
- 2 min read
We don’t know exactly why state Senator Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the U.S. Senate race on July 5, but we are hearing lots of chatter. Yes, her poll numbers had plummeted into low single digits, which obviously indicated she had no clear way forward. If one ponders a future political career, it’s obviously more advantageous to have dropped out than to have lost by a wide margin. Did she acquiesce to Democratic leaders in exchange for a promised position? There is chatter in the political class that she negotiated her next position – lieutenant governor to potential Dem gubernatorial primary winner Jocelyn Benson. “That would be the position I’d agree to if I were in her camp … you can sell it too as having legislative experience - something Jocelyn doesn’t have – and it would lend progressive cred to Benson’s establishment run campaign,” said one political strategist. “She brings a line to the progressive wing of the party, legislative experience and know-how, which an executive needs,” agreed Oakland University political science professor David Dulio, while acknowledging there are a “lot of folk Benson could tap.” However, Democratic strategist Joe DiSano disagrees, believing that Benson will not want to “share the spotlight and flashiness. She spent eight years competing with Whitmer and Nessel and wants all the light on herself. I see a state legislator or business person maybe from out of state.” As for McMorrow not endorsing either Stevens or El-Sayed, DiSano said, “she’s afraid of offending anyone. That was the problem with her campaign. She couldn’t commit to a lane. She was running a ‘vibes’ campaign. This Senate campaign is all cards on the table, and she couldn’t decide on a seat.”
Jocelyn Benson Mallory McMorrow