Detroit State Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips Endorses Jocelyn Benson for Governor
Yesterday, on the last day of Benson for Governor’s Thrive in Michigan tour, State Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips joined endorsed Jocelyn Benson for Governor of Michigan at an intimate community conversation with nearly 40 Black women activists, leaders, and community members in Detroit. Secretary Benson didn’t just talk at last night’s event, she actually listened to the ideas they had to make government work better for them and learned what they needed from their state leaders for the Motor City – so it’s not just downtown thriving, but every neighborhood as well.
In Rep. Myers Phillips’ own words as to why she’s endorsing Jocelyn:
“First—I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this because it’s a continuing conversation—we touched on her story a little bit, but she is hecka qualified. I mean, she is hecka qualified. Think about the state of the Secretary of State’s office before she took office, and how it has completely changed. Okay?
“Second, she is fearless. Or rather, in the face of fear, she doesn’t let that paralyze her. One unfortunate side of elective office is the threats—the bullying, the people telling you what you better not do, or else—and unfortunately, political violence. But in the midst of all that, even with ongoing threats to her life, she hasn’t backed down. She hasn’t moderated her position. In this age, where we have Donald Trump as President—and we still will for a little bit longer—I’m looking for a fighter. Not somebody who’s going to hide in a little corner, but someone who’s going to get up, swing, and fight. Stand up for our rights. That’s what I see in Secretary Benson: someone who can fight. And we need fighters right now.
“And third—she’s with us. When I do endorsements, [I know] I’m just one person in the community. We need to have an ongoing community conversation, and we need continued policy conversations and commitments. So when I asked [to hold this event with you all], there wasn’t any wavering or lagging—it was yes.
“I’m confident that a Benson administration will build meaningful partnerships with our community. That’s why I’m supporting her.”
State Rep. Myers Phillips joins 17 other state lawmakers in endorsing Jocelyn Benson for Governor including: Rep. Phil Skaggs, Rep. Joey Andrews, Rep. Jason Morgan, Rep. Jimmie Wilson, Rep. Carrie Rhenigans, Rep. Julie Brixie, Rep. Betsey Coffia, Rep. Dylan Wegala, Rep. Jennifer Conlin, Rep. Kelly Breen, Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, Rep. Natalie Price, Sen. Sean McCann, Rep. Denise Mentzer, and Rep. Noah Arbit.