Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist launched his 2026 campaign for governor on March 11, 2025, focusing on Michigan families while speaking to supporters at the Jam Handy in Detroit. | Kyle Davidson
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist has put his hat in the ring for governor, launching his 2026 campaign at the Jam Handy in Detroit on Tuesday night, following an announcement posted to social media earlier in the day.
Gilchrist joins Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Chris Swanson in seeking the Democratic nomination in 2026 while Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, will run as an independent. On the Republican side, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) and Genesee County truck driver Anthony Hudson also plan to seek the governorship.
A former software engineer, Gilchrist is Michigan’s first Black lieutenant governor. Since taking office in 2019, Gilchrist has led statewide task forces on jail, pretrial incarceration and juvenile justice. Gilchrist also chaired Michigan’s COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force, which led the nation in eliminating the disproportionately high rate of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among Black residents.
In launching his bid for governor, Gilchrist focused on hope amid the anxieties, angers and fears he’d seen from other Michiganders, noting that it was hope that brought his grandparents to Michigan.
“They came to Michigan from the Deep South. They were part of that Great migration that reshaped America’s political structure, economic potential and cultural significance 60 years ago. Michigan was a destination for people from all over the world filled with hope and searching for a better life,” Gilchrist said.
“Now, we’ve seen our share of hard times, but Michigan has always been a place where people who worked hard and who took care of each other could make something better. What you cannot do elsewhere you can do in Michigan,” Gilchrist said.
He discussed his approach to policy, tying it to his past in engineering and playing basketball.
“I listen to people, I look at the problems and figure them out. You come up with a solution, just like an engineer, just like a rebounder. Where do we need to go? Why are systems failing people? How can we improve the old systems or make new and better ones that work better for people? These are the questions that guide my career,” Gilchrist said.
He touted his work increasing funding to the state’s housing trust fund to expand affordable housing, reforming Michigan’s criminal expungement laws, leading the COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force and launching a $60 million innovation fund to support new businesses in the state.
“We’ve laid the foundation, but y’all, there is so much more work to do. Now tragically, we can’t count on Washington,” Gilchrist said.
“President Trump is like an arsonist against all of our economic stability and growth, the tariffs that are so reckless they will set fire for workers’ paychecks, businesses’ balance sheets, family budgets and pharmacists’ bottom lines. The cuts to Medicaid, let me be really clear, they will kill people faster,” he said.
He also touched on a fear shared by many Michigan parents: that their children will move away from the state and will not return.
“My parents had that same fear, those same sleepless nights about me. I was that kid, and they were almost right. I never wanted to leave Michigan, but Microsoft and big tech came calling, and I thought I needed to go somewhere else to become the professional I wanted to be. But it didn’t stick, because what pulled me back to Michigan was not economic, it was emotional,” Gilchrist said.
“I came home because I wanted to build my future and raise my kids to be grounded in that same hunger and hope that shapes everyone who comes here, who builds here and who grows here in Michigan,” Gilchrist said.
As a father, Gilchrist said he pours everything into his kids to make sure they achieve their full potential, telling the crowd that it’s not okay with him that Michigan parents are worrying their kids can only achieve their dreams elsewhere.
“If we make the right choices today, the right investments today, we can grow old with our children nearby, and our grandchildren by our sides, because they will see, they will feel and they will know that Michigan is not only a great place for them to take their next step, it’s the best place,” Gilchrist said.
“I’m here tonight full of hope, the hope that brought my family and yours to this state, inspired by the love I have for my children and motivated by the determination I have for you and your children to live better lives right here in Michigan….for my family and yours tonight, I declare myself a candidate for governor.”
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