Lansing — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the heavy favorite to be the Democratic nominee for governor, won’t participate Thursday in a primary debate being organized by a Detroit TV station.
Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK-TV) has planned a Democratic gubernatorial primary debate for Thursday, a Republican gubernatorial primary debate for July 8 and a Democratic U.S. Senate primary debate for July 27.
However, a spokeswoman for Benson said Monday that Benson will be unable to attend the Thursday debate because she has a scheduled event with educators in Detroit.
“The secretary has participated in dozens of interviews with local and statewide reporters this year and remains committed to engaging with both the press and voters about her vision for Michigan,” said Alyssa Bradley, Benson’s campaign spokeswoman.
Benson has one opponent in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson of Fenton.
Swanson said he still plans to show up for the Fox 2 debate.
“I’ve traveled 84,000 miles around our state trying to reach as many people as I can,” Swanson said. “This debate gives more people a chance to hear where we stand and how we answer their questions.”
Fox 2 anchor Roop Raj is expected to be the moderator for the upcoming series of debates.
He has previously said the events will be an hour long, with 30 minutes aired on TV and 30 minutes streamed online.
“The debate is happening on those days with or without you,” Raj said in the past about candidates who choose not to show up.
Benson, the second-term secretary of state from Detroit, has participated in gubernatorial forums put on by the Michigan Education Association and the United Auto Workers. But she declined to participate in a debate at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference last week against Republican U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township. James has three GOP primary opponents.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Jocelyn Benson not participating in upcoming Fox 2 primary debate
Reporting by Craig Mauger, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
