Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson is hitting the road on a bus tour during the final days of the election.
Term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Benson and her running mate, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Thursday in East Lansing for the first stop of the “Driving Down Costs” bus tour.
Whitmer said she’s optimistic about the midterms but added that Democrats aren’t taking anything for granted.
“We pull out all the stops,” Whitmer said. “If the kids get hungry, feed them something out of the microwave, they’ll be fine. But they won’t be fine if we come up short.”
Whitmer said some Republican legislative candidates are trying to associate themselves with Democratic policies passed while she was governor.
Some Republican lawmakers, like state Rep. Nancy DeBoer of Holland, have run commercials featuring photos of themselves standing alongside Whitmer at events like bill signings.
The governor said it’s evidence her agenda has been popular.
“They want to be associated with it, even if they voted against it,” Whitmer said. “And so, I think they’re playing fast and loose and trying to tell people that they’re better collaborators than they’ve actually been.”
Benson plans to feature several candidates for the state House and Senate on the bus tour. Brinks said Democrats are "prepared for trifecta 2.0, referencing the period from 2023-2025 when Democrats controlled both chambers of the Michigan Legislature and the governor's office.
A spokesperson for Republican gubernatorial nominee John James said “a slogan on the side of a bus can't erase years of higher bills, higher taxes, and failed leadership.”
But Whitmer said voters have embraced her policies.
"It helps every Democrat who's running for any office right now in the state, and some Republicans who are trying to be them," Whitmer said.
