http://www.freep.com/article/20100418/NEWS15/4180573/State-Dems-endorse-Benson-and-Leyton

 Posted: April 18, 2010

State Dems endorse Benson and Leyton

Get secretary of state, attorney general nod

Jocelyn Benson and David Leyton were endorsed Saturday as the Michigan Democratic Party's picks for secretary of state and attorney general.

The secretary of state vote was overwhelming for Benson, a 32-year-old Detroit resident and Wayne State University law professor, who swamped Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey by a 95%-5% margin.

But the race for attorney general was far closer. Leyton, 56, a Flint Township resident and Genesee County prosecutor, beat Richard Bernstein, a member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, by a 52%-47% margin.

"I'm putting the Republicans on notice right now that we're going to fight for every vote," Leyton said.

Benson promised to fight for no-reason absentee voting and allowing people to register to vote on Election Day. "It's just the beginning because the general election starts tomorrow," she said. "I'll advocate for everyday people."

The endorsements, won during a convention at Cobo Center in Detroit, aren't a guarantee that the candidates will be the party's nominees on the November ballot.

That decision will be made when Democratic delegates make it official at the state convention in late August. But the victories give Benson and Leyton the chance to put together campaign organizations and raise money with the confidence that they will be the probable nominee. The Republicans also will choose their nominees at a party convention in August.

Both Winfrey and Bernstein were gracious in defeat and said they'll step aside.

"I'm a team player. I won't be a crybaby," Winfrey said.

And Bernstein appeared on stage with Leyton after the votes were tallied.

"Now that the race is over, I'm looking forward to going back to private practice," Bernstein said.

Neither Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land nor Attorney General Mike Cox, both Republicans, can run for re-election because of term limits. Cox is running for governor, and Land is the running mate for gubernatorial candidate Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.