Lansing, MI (WGHN) – Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is dropping out of Michigan’s 2026 gubernatorial race and will instead run for secretary of state, he announced Monday morning.
Gilchrist, a Democrat, launched his campaign for governor in March 2025. In a video posted on social media, he thanked supporters and said he remains committed to public service.
“At heart, I’m a public servant, an entrepreneur, a dad, a husband, and an engineer who spent a lot of my life making government actually work for people,” Gilchrist said. “I’m not done with that, not by a long shot.”
Gilchrist said that if elected secretary of state, he would work to limit the influence of dark money in politics, modernize licensing and registration services, and protect personal data from misuse by private companies or government surveillance.
Gilchrist has served as Michigan’s lieutenant governor since 2019 under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He is the highest-ranking Black elected official in state history.
A Detroit native, Gilchrist holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan. He previously worked at Microsoft and served as a social media manager on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign before returning to Detroit to work in city government.
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