Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson faces a campaign finance complaint over allegations she leveraged taxpayer resources to promote her campaign for governor.

Christian Charette, a public library employee who ran unsuccessfully to represent the state’s 22nd House District, filed the complaint on Wednesday, the same day Benson officially launched her campaign following a botched rollout on Tuesday.

“Today, I filed a campaign finance complaint against @JocelynBenson for utilizing public resources during her Gubernatorial campaign announcement, and for abusing the office of Secretary of State to collect information that would later inform her run,” Charette posted to X.

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“Jocelyn Benson isn’t shy about touting her ‘administrative abilities’ to ensure #Michigan election laws are followed,” he wrote. “It is unconscionable for her to excuse herself from these same stringent standards.”

Benson announced she will oversee her own election for governor at a press conference Wednesday “in the lobby of a building operated and maintained with public funds,” the complaint read.

“In an interview with WILX … Benson has admitted to using her office over the last several weeks and months to conduct ‘Community Conversations’ across the state, which helped her inform herself of the issues (to eventually run for Governor),” it continued.

“Also in this interview, when asked about why the press conference was inside (reporters mentioning that candidates have routinely been barred from filming their announcements inside publicly owned buildings and instead had to film on the steps of the entrance) she nervously laughed and stated ‘it’s cold.’”

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Charette’s X post continued: “You say you stand up to bullies and fight for transparency, Ms. Benson, Well, so do I.”

The complaint cites MCL 169.257, which states “A public body or person acting for a public body shall not use or authorize for use the funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationary, postage, vehicles, equipment, supplies, or other public resources to make a contribution or expenditure or provide volunteer personal services that are excluded from the definition of contribution” under the law.

“A person that knowingly violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable, if the person is an individual, by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or both.”

Benson said in the WILX video that “it’s really important that we as leaders recognize that government must work for everyone, it must be transparent to everyone and accountable to everyone.”

The Midwesterner has sent repeated requests to Benson spokeswoman Angela Benander for clarification on whether the Secretary of State’s recent “Community Conversations” with constituents was paid for by taxpayers, or her campaign.

Benson banned The Midwesterner from streaming those events live.

Benander did not respond to The Midwesterner’s community conversations inquiries, or another sent Thursday requesting information about how Benson intends to handle the campaign finance complaint from Charette.

Benson’s Bureau of Elections typically investigates complaints, although her “Campaign Finance and Financial Disclosure Complaint Guidebook” states “if the complaint alleges a financial disclosure act violation by the secretary of state or their spouse, the Department will refer the matter to the attorney general to determine whether a violation has occurred.”

As the Michigan Freedom Fund noted in a 2022 blog, “The Democratic governor, secretary of state and attorney general have routinely used the levers of power to target their political opponents while giving one another a free pass.”

The blog details how Benson fought in court against the release of documents that exposed campaign finance violations by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and an aligned Build a Better Michigan nonprofit.

The campaign finance complaint filed against Benson on Wednesday follows numerous others involving the Secretary of State that have been filed with various courts, the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Supreme Court, and elsewhere.

Some of those complaints have resulted in court decisions that ruled her election guidance unconstitutional, while others are still pending.

The most egregious examples involve relaxed rules for absentee voting, unethical campaign contributions from Benson’s Michigan Legacy PAC to sitting Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Bolden overseeing cases against the Secretary of State, refusal to purge the state’s bloated voter rolls, and allegations Benson leveraged her office to boost voter registrations in Democratic areas of the state.

The Secretary of State also faced a campaign finance complaint in November alleging Benson knowingly misused taxpayer resources to promote content linked to her political campaign’s social media.

“The allegations in this complaint are significant. Documented instances show the Secretary of State’s official Facebook page actively sharing, tagging, and mentioning Benson’s campaign page,” Paul Kardasz, former chief deputy clerk in Macomb County, wrote in an email to The Midwesterner in November. “These actions unfairly leveraged taxpayer-funded resources to amplify her campaign’s reach, conferring a substantial financial and strategic advantage.

“Such misuse of public platforms is unethical and raises serious questions about violations of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act,” he wrote.

It remains unclear if or how that complaint was resolved, as Benander ignored The Midwesterner’s inquiries in November, as well.

Benson was roasted on social media this week over the botched rollout of her gubernatorial campaign, which featured an accidental announcement on X Tuesday, followed by the real deal on Wednesday.

That bungled campaign launch came just 18 days after the Secretary of State took to X to declare her expertise in governmental operations.

“I know how to make government work – not because I’ve talked or posted about it,” Benson wrote on Jan. 4. “But because I have done it every day as Michigan’s Secretary of State.”

Wednesday’s announcement made the former hate crimes investigator for the disgraced Southern Poverty Law Center the third major candidate to declare a run to replace term-limited Whitmer in 2026.

Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbit, R-Lawton, announced his campaign for governor last week, while Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced in December he’s ditching the Democratic Party to run for governor as an Independent.

A poll of Michigan voters conducted by Mitchell Research & Communications in October found Benson trailing former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg among potential Democratic contenders for governor in 2026.

The same poll showed Nesbit at 0% support among Republicans, with 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon and U.S. Rep. John James leading potential Republican candidates at 27% and 28%, respectively.