Oakland County Republican and businesswoman Monica Yatooma will seek the party’s nomination for Michigan Secretary of State in 2026.
A mother of three, Yatooma said in a Sept. 4 interview she became increasingly involved in Republican politics after the 2020 presidential election. A critic of current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, Yatooma said her decision to seek the office is born from wanting “a fully functioning and efficient secretary of state’s office.”
“It’s also really important to make sure that our elections are secure,” she said. “I got in the race because I believe I’m the only candidate that can really appeal to the factions of the delegate base.”
Party nominees for secretary of state candidates are decided at conventions where delegates from around the state choose who will represent the party in the general election, not statewide primaries that any Michigan voter can participate in. Yatooma, who is a Republican precinct delegate herself, said election integrity is a common concern among delegates.
In 2020, President Donald Trump and his allies denied election results that year in Michigan and other states where he lost to former President Joe Biden, despite numerous audits and lawsuits finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Yatooma said she doesn’t want to dwell on 2020, but stated greater transparency in elections are needed.
“My focus is not on 2020, it’s really about fixing the system so that we don’t have another election where half the state doubts the outcome,” she said. Yatooma said she would ensure local clerks are receiving lawful instructions on election administration and strengthen the chain of custody for absentee ballots.
Yatooma is currently the executive director of the Great Education Action, a nonprofit organization focused on bolstering parental involvement in public schools. Before that, she was the deputy CEO of a medical waste disposal company in metro Detroit. She said her experience as an executive would help her administer elections in Michigan, which has a decentralized elections process in which local clerks oversee voting in communities.
“I think business leadership, paired with grassroots advocacy, I think those skills are going to be transferable,” she said. “I honestly think those are going to be more important than clerical skills. For a clerk, they manage elections at a local level, they oversee precincts and run polls and handle paperwork. That’s great, but secretary of state is a statewide chief executive of elections. It’s responsible for policy, oversight, modernization, enforcement. It’s really important to have those leadership skills, to have that vision.”
A Chaldean Christian, Yatooma said her parents’ journey as immigrants to the United States has shaped her perspective. She said her parents worked to provide “endless opportunities,” and she wants to pass those opportunities to her children, as well.
“They were told if they worked hard, they could achieve the American dream and they were able to do that,” Yatooma said. “I’m a product of that, and I think that’s what really has fueled my passion and advocacy over the years.”
Benson, who has been Michigan Secretary of State since 2019, is prevented by term limits from running for a third term. Benson is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year.
Other Republicans who have filed paperwork to run for secretary of state include Amanda Love, a Clarkston Community School District board trustee and organizer, and Timothy Smith, of Muskegon County. Democrats who hope to succeed Benson include Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and Aghogho Edevbie, who is currently deputy secretary of state.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland County GOP delegate Monica Yatooma enters Michigan Secretary of State race
Reporting by Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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