Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist has suspended his campaign for governor in favor of running for Secretary of State.
Gilchrist, a Democrat, said the decision came from talking with voters along the campaign trail about policies to increase affordability, and access to childcare and housing.
He said protecting Michigan’s democracy against what he views as outside threats from the Trump administration is among the first steps to getting those other goals done. Trump denies the results of his 2020 election loss and has briefly mentioned the idea of canceling the 2020 election, framing it as something he wouldn’t call for out of concerns he’d be labeled a “dictator.”
“If we can’t have a voting process, and election process where we can actually vote for the people to hold corporations accountable, and vote to protect our environment and vote to get the money out of politics, if that system doesn’t work because Trump and his Michigan allies, if they undermine it or destroy it, we can’t fix the other stuff,” Gilchrist said in an interview Monday.
For his Secretary of State campaign, he’s naming government transparency, improving service, and protecting democracy as some of his top priorities. Gilchrist vowed to refuse any requests, like those coming from the Trump Administration, to access Michigan’s voter data.
“This office has more data and information about Michiganders than any other department. At a time when big tech companies are trying to mine that data, my technology background makes me the best person to protect that data and information from that kind of surveillance and data-mining in a way that nobody else can,” Gilchrist said.
The decision leaves the race for Michigan’s Democratic nomination for governor largely between current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
Gilchrist said no one pressured him to drop out and he wouldn’t make “an immediate endorsement” in that race. On social media, Benson thanked Gilchrist for his service to Michigan. Swanson wished Gilchrist the best and said his own campaign was “picking up steam.”
Meanwhile, Gilchrist is entering a thick field of candidates already seeking the Democratic endorsement for Secretary of State. Throughout Monday, each released their own statements in response to him joining.
“We respect Lt. Gov. Gilchrist’s decision to enter the Secretary of State race and welcome him to the field. Our campaign will continue moving forward with the same determination and vision, focused on defending our democracy and serving the people of Michigan,” a statement from Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie’s campaign read.
Meanwhile, an emailed statement from former Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli criticized Gilchrist’s decision to enter.
“This office and protecting our vote is too important to be a consolation prize, and I am the best candidate to hold this seat come November,” Shkreli said. “With my experience as a prosecutor and in the governor’s administration, I bring the grit and toughness to stand up to extremists and protect the votes and voices of Michiganders no matter what comes our way.”
In an interview with Michigan Public Radio, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum asserted that her own years of experience in elected office and running elections prove she’d be the best one to handle the statewide duties.
She said she’s “a bit more of a scrapper” and would restore faith in the state’s elections by meeting falsehoods with facts.
“I would call out the false claims and I would call out the lawsuits, the frivolous lawsuits that have been filed against the Secretary,” Byrum said, referencing a Trump administration lawsuit for the state’s voter rolls. “I would be out front talking to people about why the entire qualified voter file was not released. It’s because it’s not all public information in the State of Michigan.”
Regarding transparency and technical issues with Michigan’s new campaign finance system, Byrum said she handled a similar problem in her county by keeping the old system around as a backup.
“I believe in disclosure, and I have made Ingham County campaign finance records accessible and open to the public, and I would continue to do that, and I would improve that,” she said.
Former state Senator and Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Director Adam Hollier is also running for the Democratic Secretary of State nomination.
Unlike in the governor’s race, which uses a conventional party primary, party delegates will choose who ultimately wins the nomination for Secretary of State. That could give a leg up to the candidates who have the most history with local party organizations around the state, regardless of name recognition.
The general election is November 3.
