GRAND RAPIDS — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson has selected State Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks as her running mate, creating the first major party ticket in state history featuring two women seeking Michigan’s highest executive offices.

Brinks, 57, represents the Grand Rapids area and brings more than a decade of legislative experience to the ticket. She was first elected to the State House in 2012, serving three consecutive terms before winning election to the State Senate in 2018 and reelection in 2022.

After Democrats captured control of the chamber for the first time in four decades, Brinks’ colleagues selected her to serve as Senate majority leader beginning in 2023, making her the first woman in Michigan history to hold the powerful leadership position.

Benson, 48, who has served as Michigan secretary of state since January 2019, announced Brinks as her choice during a campaign event Wednesday at a Grand Rapids brewery. The Benson campaign distributed signs bearing both candidates’ names to supporters attending the event.

Brinks must still be formally nominated by delegates at the Michigan Democratic Party convention in Lansing on Aug. 29. Running mate selections by major party gubernatorial nominees are typically approved by party delegates as a formality.

“When it came time to choose a partner in this campaign, I thought about someone who understands exactly what it means to show up, do the hard work and get things done,” Benson said, describing Brinks as a leader with “a track record of delivering legislative accomplishments.”

Benson said she needed a governing partner capable of helping enact her agenda, predicting that the two candidates would make Michigan history if elected in November.

Brinks adds extensive legislative experience and geographic balance to the Democratic ticket. Benson lives in Detroit, while Brinks is based in Grand Rapids, giving the campaign a prominent connection to politically important West Michigan.

Democrats selected Brinks to lead their Senate majority following the 2022 elections, when the party won control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Under that Democratic governing majority, lawmakers enacted a wide-ranging agenda that included expanded reproductive rights, stronger protections for labor unions and LGBTQ residents, new gun-safety measures, clean energy mandates and the repeal of Michigan’s Right-to-Work law and tax on certain retirement income.

At the Grand Rapids event, Brinks described Benson as “exactly the leader we need at this moment.”

She praised Benson’s performance as secretary of state, including efforts to modernize services and reduce waiting times at Secretary of State branch offices.

Brinks also sharply criticized Benson’s Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. John James, over his voting record in Congress.

“He voted to fund Trump’s disastrous, open-ended war in Iran, where service members are stranded at sea,” Brinks said.

She pledged to remain at Benson’s side “every step of the way” and fight for “a Michigan we can all afford.”

James announced last week that he had selected State Rep. Jay DeBoyer, a conservative Republican from Clay Township, as his preferred candidate for lieutenant governor.

DeBoyer was first elected to the State House in 2022 and previously served as the St. Clair County elections clerk. He chairs the House Oversight Committee and serves as associate speaker pro tempore.

As chairman of the Oversight Committee, DeBoyer has emerged as one of Benson’s most persistent critics over her administration of elections and other state programs. He subpoenaed and later sued Benson’s office seeking election training materials and led a hearing examining problems with the rollout of a state government transparency portal.

The Republican ticket does not have the same regional balance as its Democratic counterpart. James lives in Macomb County, while DeBoyer lives in neighboring St. Clair County. Both represent portions of Southeast Michigan.

If Benson and Brinks win the Nov. 3 general election, they would make history as the first two women to serve simultaneously as governor and lieutenant governor of Michigan.

Women have previously held both offices separately. Jennifer Granholm and Gretchen Whitmer have served as governor, while Martha Griffiths and Connie Binsfeld previously served as lieutenant governor. However, Michigan has never elected two women to the offices at the same time.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Brinks said the historic nature of the ticket was personally meaningful and underscored the importance of representation in government.

“I think that we’ve got the best ticket, regardless of whether we’re men or women on the Democratic side,” she said. “I like to see representation in the highest offices of our land and in our state.”

Republicans, meanwhile, are expected to field an all-male slate for Michigan’s top statewide offices for the first time since 1978. Along with James and DeBoyer, the party’s nominees include Doug Lloyd for attorney general and Anthony Forlini for secretary of state.

The Republican ticket could nevertheless make history of its own. If elected, James would become Michigan’s first Black governor.

DeBoyer’s selection still requires approval from delegates at the Michigan Republican Party convention in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 22.

Benson and James secured their parties’ gubernatorial nominations in Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary election. They will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election to determine who succeeds term-limited Democratic Gov. Whitmer.

Whitmer, who was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, cannot seek a third four-year term under the Michigan Constitution.