Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist launches run for governor
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Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II speaks during MoveOn's Scoop The Vote Truck Tour Rally on Sept. 28 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Photo: Scott Legato/Getty Images for MoveOn
Michigan Lieutenant Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D) announced Tuesday that he is running for governor in the perennial battleground.
Why it matters: The crowded race for the governor's mansion will be among the most closely watched and expensive contests over the next two years.
- Gilchrist is the sixth candidate to announce his bid for the governor's mansion, which will be open by term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in 2026.
Driving the news: "We're in such changing times and times of technological change, times of political instability," Gilchrist told Axios of his governor's bid.
- "I've been to all 83 three counties in Michigan at least three times, and I've talked to people from every walk of life," he added.
- "What I see are people who just want results, they want things to be better, so that they can have what they need to be successful today and have Michigan be a place where their kids can see themselves as staying and becoming successful and being the best versions of themselves."
State of play: Two Democrats, two Republicans and one independent candidate have launched their bid before Gilchrist, per the Lansing State Journal.
- The 2026 governor's race will be the best test of the political leaning of the perennial battleground, after President Trump won the state in 2024.
- Democrats did notch some down-ballot wins in 2024 in Michigan, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin's victory.
Between the lines: If a Democratic candidate wins the governor's mansion, Democrats will have their longest hold on the governor's office since the 1960s, Axios previously reported.
Zoom in: Gilchrist, who has served as lieutenant governor alongside Whitmer for six years, previously worked as a software engineer.
- Gilchrist pointed to his relationships that he's built working alongside Whitmer — and experience working on issues like affordable housing and mental health — as factors that will set up apart from the crowded field.
- "As an engineer, my job is to make things better, to take things that are broken and make them work for people," Gilchrist told Axios.
- "I'm going to bring that energy, combined with my relationships and the work that I put in all across the state of Michigan, all 83 counties, to deliver results in a way that nobody else can, and I'm excited to have that be the cornerstone of how we move forward."
