Garlin Gilchrist Drops Bid For Governor, Launches Secretary Of State Campaign

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II announced Monday that he is dropping his bid from the crowded 2026 governor's race. Instead, he is setting his sights on the secretary of state office.

"I'm a public servant, an entrepreneur, a dad, a husband, and an engineer who spent a lot of my life making the government actually work for people. I'm not done with that, not by a long shot. Today, I am declaring my candidacy for Secretary of State of Michigan," Gilchrist posted on social media Monday.

Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, cannot run for re-election because of term limits. Instead, Benson is running for governor.

Gilchrist is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, having worked alongside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the past six years. His hometown Detroit is the state's largest Democratic stronghold and nearly 80 percent Black, bolstering his appeal.

His new campaign for secretary of state will focus on enforcing stronger protections of government-held personal data and more transparency with campaign contributions.

"As Secretary of State, I will shine a light on dark money and put the public first. I will modernize licensing and registration by providing smarter 21st century service," Gilchrist said. "I will protect your privacy and never allow your identity, voter registration information, or license plate data to be mined by big tech companies or surveilled by the Trump administration."

Other Democrats who are running for secretary of state include Ingham County Clerk Barbara Byrum, Deputy Secretary of State Agohogho Ebevibie, former State Senator Adam Hollier and former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli.

On the Republican side, Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, Clarkston Community Schools Trustee Amanda Love and Monica Yatooma are seeking to the office.