By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-896804.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Michigan Democrats will gather in Detroit this weekend for a special convention to select the party's candidates for attorney general and secretary of state. 15 thousand Democrats from across the state are expected to participate.
In the attorney general race, trial lawyer Richard Bernstein faces Genessee County Prosecutor David Leyton. Election law professor Jocelyn Benson and Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey are both seeking the secretary of state endorsement.
Democrats are holding an early convention as they seek an edge in what's expected to be a bruising campaign season. By law, the party has to wait until August to formally nominate candidates. But Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer says that would give candidates just over two months to pull together a statewide campaign.
"The idea here is to give people a signal that they will be the nominee in August, to enable them then to start to prepare for the general election," he says.
Democrats will also attend their annual fundraising dinner and hear from the three candidates running in the party's gubernatorial primary election.