Benson holds $3.1 million cash advantage over Karamo in Michigan secretary of state race
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson once again outraised her GOP challenger Kristina Karamo, according to the final campaign finance reports filed before the upcoming midterm election to decide who will serve as the state's next chief elections officer. The Democratic incumbent holds a $3.1 million cash advantage over Karamo heading into the Nov. 8 election.
Benson raised $482,966.91 in the period covering Aug. 6-Sept. 10 and had more than $3.3 million cash on hand, according to the report from her campaign. Meanwhile, Karamo amassed $211,443.29 in the period covering Aug. 12-Sept.16, ending up with $184,734.68 cash on hand, according to her campaign's report filed late Monday.
Karamo's report was not available on the secretary of state's campaign finance database by the 5 p.m. deadline Monday, but did appear later Monday. Karamo campaign manager Rosanne Ponkowski in an email pointed to an "error in the submission system" that she said, "prevented the report from being filed by 5 p.m." A spokesperson for the Secretary of State's Office did not identify "any glitches or other tech issues on our side of things."
In seeking reelection, Benson has argued that the future of democracy in Michigan is at stake. Karamo — who has falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump — rose to national prominence for her unfounded claims of election fraud and misconduct.
She participated in legal efforts to overturn the presidential election two years ago and subsequently scored Trump's support. He traveled to Michigan in April ahead of the state Republican Party's endorsement convention to stump for Karamo. During the Macomb County rally, the former president told his supporters that if she wins, Karamo will "protect us from a corrupt election."
More:Michigan secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo: I'm a little MAGA warrior
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Republicans have repeatedly blasted Benson's handling of the 2020 election, expressing particular frustration with her decision to mail absentee ballot applications to every voter in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. Courts found that Benson had the authority to send out the applications.
Hundreds of audits, court rulings and post-election reviews have upheld the results of the election two years ago in which President Joe Biden defeated Trump by more than 154,000 votes in Michigan.
Karamo is part of a coalition of Trump-backed GOP candidates for secretary of state who deny the validity of the 2020 election based on false claims of misconduct and fraud. Karamo appeared alongside one member of the group — Arizona Republican Secretary of State nominee Mark Finchem — during a recent convention hosted by Church Militant, deemed an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. There, the pair solicited support for their campaigns and cast their races as a spiritual battle for the future of the country.
Benson and Karamo are not currently scheduled to debate one another ahead of the election. Karamo declined an invitation to participate in a debate unless she could select one of the moderators.
Clerks have already begun sending absentee ballots to military and overseas voters and must begin issuing absentee ballots to voters who request one by Thursday.
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan secretary of state race: Benson raises more money than Karamo
