Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic front-runner in Michigan's gubernatorial race, is facing renewed Republican scrutiny over her past association with the Southern Poverty Law Center after federal prosecutors indicted the organization on 11 counts Tuesday. The DOJ alleges the SPLC fraudulently paid members of extremist groups including the KKK and individuals connected to the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference that the SPLC payments were designed to create "work product that reported on these activities." Benson, who served on the SPLC board from 2014 to 2018, previously worked as a volunteer researcher for the organization after graduating college in Massachusetts and moving to Alabama.
What the Left Is Saying
Benson's campaign forcefully rejected Republican attacks, framing them as politically motivated distraction. "Jocelyn Benson has spent her career advancing the unfinished work of the civil rights movement and expanding economic opportunity, including helping dismantle white supremacist and neo-Nazi extremist networks responsible for hate crimes across the country," her campaign told Fox News Digital. The statement pivoted to criticism of President Trump's economic policies: "And while Donald Trump is trying to use his Justice Department to distract from his reckless economic policies that are driving up costs for Michiganders, Jocelyn remains focused on lower costs, raising wages, and protecting the rights and freedoms of the people in this state."
SPLC CEO Bryan Fair defended the organization in a video message, arguing the Trump administration has "made no secret who they want to protect and who they want to destroy." In a subsequent statement, Fair said: "We are outraged by the false allegations levied against SPLC – an organization that for 55 years has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice."
Benson has previously described her early work at the SPLC in stark terms. In a 2025 interview with "Keen on America," she recounted researching groups she said were "claiming to be the reincarnation of [Adolf] Hitler" and described fearing for her safety while working alone in a hotel room, saying: "And that was an act of courage, small and no one saw it, but it helped me build a bravery muscle."
What the Right Is Saying
Michigan Republican Party officials are demanding answers. The state GOP posted on its official X account: "Jocelyn Benson regularly touted her experience as a leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a group that the Department of Justice says secretly funneled money to the KKK and other hate groups they were purportedly tracking." The post concluded with a direct question: "What did Jocelyn know, and when did she know it?"
MIGOP Chairman Jim Runestad told Fox News Digital that Benson's tenure on the SPLC board coincided with the timeframe in which the DOJ alleged criminal activity began. "Benson owes an explanation to the public in what she knows about the SPLC's alleged criminal behavior, considering the criminal activity started around the same time Benson was named to the Board," Runestad said.
An official with Benson's campaign confirmed she served as a volunteer researcher for the SPLC after college and later sat on its board from 2014-2018. When pressed on what Benson knew about the allegations in the DOJ's indictment, her campaign did not provide specific details about her knowledge of any alleged payments to extremist groups.
What the Numbers Show
The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. The organization reported approximately $52 million in revenue for fiscal year 2024, according to its most recent publicly available tax filings. Benson served on the organization's board from 2014 through 2018, a period of four years.
The DOJ indictment alleges that SPLC payments to extremist group members began during what prosecutors describe as an approximately seven-year scheme. The indictment was filed Tuesday in federal court. Benson has not been charged with any wrongdoing related to her association with the organization.
The Bottom Line
Benson faces pressure from both sides of this debate. Republicans argue voters deserve to know whether she had knowledge of or involvement in the alleged financial arrangements, while her supporters contend the attacks are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to discredit organizations critical of extremism. Benson has not spoken publicly about the indictment since it was announced Tuesday and did not respond to requests for additional comment beyond her campaign's written statement. The story is developing, and neither side has provided documentary evidence supporting their positions about what Benson knew regarding SPLC's internal financial dealings.