The Lions might not even be Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s third favorite NFL team.
The Pittsburgh native is loyal to her home teams. When the Steelers aren’t doing so hot, she cheers for the Eagles, and, at the end of the day, profits from the Miami Dolphins are helping her win elections.
In a 2017 radio interview with New York Liberty, Benson was asked: “Do you have any sports teams you support specifically?”
“Well, I did grow up in Pittsburgh, so I’ve got a strong affinity for the Steelers, although I’ve been saying lately with the leadership Malcom Jenkins with the Eagles is showing on these civil rights issues, I’m slowly becoming an Eagles fan as well…”
You heard that right. Benson is a member of Steelers Nation. And she admitted it in the runup to her first statewide election in Michigan.
Benson and the Democrats also have made a talking point about standing up to “bullies and billionaires,” so I decided to check her record with billionaires.
Benson’s campaign finance records reveal multiple billionaire donors, including the Soros family, coastal tech elites, Hollywood producers, and multiple activist Democrat organizations and PACs. You can review her extensive donors from billionaires on the website she runs as the Michigan Secretary of State.
Hopefully the website is working when you decide to take a look—although Benson ran on transparency and efficiency, campaign finance records are often difficult to access. Sure hope she figures out how to run a website if she ends up running our state.
Perhaps the most prominent Benson billionaire, however, is Michigan native Stephen Ross—a real estate mogul, philanthropist, and graduate of the University of Michigan. His name appears on buildings all over Ann Arbor.
Ross has consistently donated campaign contributions to Benson’s bids for Secretary of State and now her bid for governor.
Ross is owner of the Related Companies, a real-estate empire that employs Benson’s husband, lobbyist, and disgraced Duggan staffer Ryan Friedrichs, as its VP of Development.
Friedrichs and his colleagues at Related have also donated over $122,000 to Benson’s campaigns and ballot initiatives over the last few election cycles.
Needless to say, coastal billionaires are propping up her campaign and her family income in addition to the $300,000 salary she made working as CEO at his nonprofit, the Ross Initiative In Sports For Equality (RISE), where she still serves on the Board of Directors. RISE is “committed to creating a nation unified through sports committed to racial justice and social equity.”
Ross’s most prominent property, however, is within the NFL. He owns the Miami Dolphins. Vice Chairman and CEO of the Miami Dolphins, Tom Garfinkel, has also donated to Benson’s campaigns.
Benson did extensive anti-racism work with the Miami Dolphins through RISE, including organizing a town hall at the Dolphin’s headquarters during the NFL national anthem protests in support of players taking the knee. There, she wore a Dolphin teal jacket and attended tailgate fundraisers with Ross.
Who does she really root for? How much grit does she really have?
Jocelyn Benson, stop pretending you’re a true fan.
Anna Hoffman is a hockey mom of three living in Ann Arbor. Follow her on X @shoesonplease.
