PODCAST:
Jan. 13, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick, Lloyd Jackson, and Jamie Edmonds spoke with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist. He discussed his shift from running for governor to secretary of state, aiming to protect elections and modernize systems.
LANSING ~ Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist announced a major shift in political ambitions Monday, stating he would abandon his gubernatorial bid in favor of running for secretary of state.
“If this threat that Donald Trump represents to our democratic process, our norms, (and) the threats to the Voting Rights Act; if we can’t vote and trust it and have that work, then that means we can’t vote in people who are going to hold corporations accountable, fix the systems that are broken, and make housing more available and affordable,” Gilchrist told WJR. “If that system doesn’t work, the rest of these systems cannot be fixed.
“It actually had me call back to the first time I entered public life, which was a candidate for Detroit city clerk in 2017. Making that system work has never been far from my heart, and upon reflection on those conversations, I decided that this was the place for me to render the most effective service to fix the system that needs to be fixed and protected in a way that I feel I’m uniquely qualified to do. That’s why I made this change.”
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson remain in the Democratic primary for governor, while Gilchrist enters a crowded field for secretary of state.
