Winnie Brinks visits Newberry on U.P. campaign tour

By Sterling McGinn

Winnie Brinks, Senate Majority Leader and Jocelyn Benson’s running mate for Michigan Governor, visited Newberry on Sunday, October 18 at the Luce County Democratic Party office on Newberry Avenue.

Brinks has been a member of the Michigan Senate since 2019 and is the first woman to hold the office of Majority Leader. She has been in the role since 2023. She has 14 years in the state legislature.

Prior to entering politics, Brinks was a caseworker at The Source, which assists employers with resources in both community and employees. She also worked as a school paraprofessional and as a director of a community-based corrections agency.

Brinks was on a three-day campaign visit to the Upper Peninsula. During her stop in Newberry, she met and spoke with approximately 15 residents who were present at the Democratic Office.

“Jocelyn Benson and I have been crisscrossing the state and talking about doing everything that we can to lower costs for people, to create better jobs that pay well, so people can build careers and lives around,” Brinks said. “We have been talking about the importance of standing up for your rights and your freedoms and attacking corruption at its root.”

Brinks visited Marquette and Munising prior to stopping in Newberry Sunday. She went to Sault Ste. Marie that evening.

“We are excited to be here—the Upper Peninsula is really important, and it is one of those places that some campaigns don’t get to,” Brinks said. “The people have been so welcoming and so positive, so whatever you are doing up here, we need more of it in the lower part of the state.”

If elected, Benson and Brinks plan to prioritize job creation and economic development as well as education at the beginning of the new term.

“Jocelyn Benson has a plan for everything,” Brinks said. “I am very excited to work with her—she is ambitious and energetic, and she really wants to see government work better in all departments. We have seen her transform the Secretary of State office…it is much more efficient and much more effective,” she furthered.

Brinks grew up on a farm in a rural community and says she understands the hardships and financial strains found in rural areas especially with healthcare and education.

“We are going to make sure we are investing in schools and making sure we are doing things that are the foundation of successful community and life,” Brinks said “There is some opportunity to see if we can insert greater equity there, and that could also consider communities that are more rural and remote and just don’t have the tax base —that remains to be seen with the new legislators and new governor to see what common ground we can find.”

Benson and Brinks will also emphasize making sure voices from Upper Peninsula residents are heard. Brinks said that Benson has a family connection to Marquette and is very fond of the U.P.
“One of the reasons I am here is to make sure we are listening to people in the U.P.—every voice matters,” said Brinks.

“I think one thing that Jocelyn Benson has made clear as she travels the state, she talks about her vison for the state no matter if you are a democrat or a republican– if you live in the U.P., or you live in Detroit, she cares about every single person in the state of Michigan,” said Brinks. “She wants to make sure we can all be successful. We understand that we work for Michiganders…they are our boss regardless of what other folks have to say.”