• Garlin Gilchrist’s departure from the governor’s race means Jocelyn Benson is well positioned for the Democratic nomination, experts say
• Gilchrist enters a crowded secretary of state race with a high profile and a solid fundraising base
• Fellow Democrats seeking the post argue the state’s top election administration job should not be a ‘consolation prize’

LANSING — The landscape of Michigan’s 2026 elections shifted Monday as Lt. Gov. Gilchrist formally abandoned his gubernatorial campaign to instead run for secretary of state.

The decision leaves just two high-profile Democrats competing for the party’s gubernatorial nomination. Experts say the move cements current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s frontrunner status in that race, which voters will decide in the August primary.

Meanwhile, Gilchrist joins an already crowded race for the Democratic secretary of state nomination, setting up the potential for a contested race at the party’s April endorsement convention.

The secretary of state post is too important to be considered a “consolation prize,” Democratic candidates Barb Byrum and Suzanna Shkreli both said in separate statements.

Here’s what to know about both races:

Governor’s race narrows

Facing Benson — the state’s chief elections officer whose national profile skyrocketed after the 2020 election — Gilchrist’s campaign was an uphill battle from the time he joined the race last March.

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The Democratic Party’s donor class has already largely backed Benson in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Gilchrist was raising significantly less than her in his bid for governor.

“The time for me to serve in that role may come, but now is not that time,” Gilchrist said in announcing he will run for secretary of state instead.

Lieutenant governors have a less visible role than other statewide officials and have historically struggled to succeed their running mates. Gilchrist had campaigned to the left of Benson and taken more progressive stances on some hot-button issues like Israel’s war in Gaza.

But Gilchrist had also struggled to fundraise in recent months. Through the end of October 2025, he had raised just about $1.1 million. By comparison, Benson had raised about $4.1 million.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan, seen as a contender against both Democrats and Republicans, was not far behind Benson, either.

In separate statements, Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson both praised Gilchrist.

Benson said in a post on social media she was “thankful for his commitment to Michigan” and would continue to “champion the work he’s helped inspire.”

Swanson said he called Gilchrist and thanked him for “running a strong campaign based on the issues that are vital to the people of Michigan” and asserted his own campaign is “picking up steam.”

Gilchrist’s departure means “there’s more daylight today than yesterday” in the race for the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nomination, but Benson does not necessarily have the race sewn up, said Jonathan Kinloch, chair of the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party.

A lot of people in the Democratic Party had been calling for a diverse slate this year, and “particularly making sure that there’s Black representation on this slate,” Kinloch added, referring to the governor, attorney general and secretary of state slots at the top of the ballot.

Gilchrist’s departure gives Benson “a clearer path” to the nomination, longtime political consultant Adolph Mongo wrote in Deadline Detroit.

But he “should have stayed in and made her earn it,” Mongo added, criticizing the party for failing to rally behind Gilchrist, who he called a “loyal stalwart” who Democrats needed on the ticket to win “Detroit and other Black cities” in 2018.

Swanson, meanwhile, has worked hard to raise his profile but is not yet a household name statewide.

He is “not really setting the world on fire,” and “hasn’t captured the attention of the regular voter in any kind of way,” said Greg Bowens, a Democratic political consultant.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary will likely face stiff competition from Duggan and the winner of the Republican contest, which currently includes US Rep. John James, former Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former House Speaker Tom Leonard and more.

Secretary of state race heats up

Gilchrist instantly becomes the only Democratic secretary of state candidate who has won a statewide election — albeit as a running mate to Whitmer.

But he has not previously served in an election administration role — he narrowly lost his bid for Detroit City Clerk in 2017 — and will have plenty of competition for the nomination, which Democratic Party delegates will decide at an April 19 endorsement convention in Detroit.

Byrum, Shkreli, Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie and former state Sen. Adam Hollier are already running.

Gilchrist cast his decision to join the race as about preserving the administration of state elections.

“Michigan has been ground zero in the battle for free and fair elections before, and it will be again,” Gilchrist said in his Monday announcement. “This tangled web of corruption and control is meant to crush our power to participate. We have to fix this. If we don’t, we can’t fix anything else.”

Gilchrist’s ability to transfer cash between campaign committees could provide him something of a financial edge. At the end of October he had $378,000 in the bank for his gubernatorial campaign, while Byrum, the next closest candidate, had about $104,000 in cash on hand. Shkreli, who announced her candidacy in December, has yet to file a campaign finance report.

Instead of being selected in a statewide vote like gubernatorial nominees, major party secretary of state candidates are nominated by party delegates in an internal process.

Still, Gilchrist traveled the state extensively in his 10-month campaign, visiting all 83 counties, something that should prove advantageous in a statewide delegate vote.

Gilchrist immediately becomes the “big dog” in the race, said Bowens, a Democratic precinct delegate who told Bridge he is not yet decided in the race.

His path to victory is now about securing support within the constellation of interests that make up the Michigan Democratic Party’s delegate base.

“Can he go to the … labor unions right now and leverage his relationship in the governor’s office and the work that still needs to be done into support?” Bowens said. “All the different caucuses that are there can lift you up and give you the opportunity to secure the nomination.”

Some Democrats already in the race took shots at Gilchrist as he entered the race.

“The Secretary of State’s Office is not a consolation prize, it is one of the most important positions in state government,” Byrum, who is already touting several endorsements, said in a statement. “It is too important to be anyone’s second choice, or a stepping stone to something else.”

Shkreli, the former lottery commissioner who also previously worked as deputy legal counsel to Whitmer, said much the same: The race is “too important to be a consolation prize,” she said in a statement, calling herself “the best candidate to hold this seat come November.”

A request for comment on Gilchrist’s announcement was left with Edevbie and Hollier, the former Democratic senator and ex-Michigan Department of Veterans Affairs director.

Several candidates have also jumped in on the Republican side of the race. They include Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, Oakland County GOP delegate Monica Yatooma and Clarkston Schools trustee Amanda Love.

Gilchrist’s pivot to the secretary of state race shows “Democrats are worried, plain and simple,” Yatooma told Bridge, arguing she could rally a diverse coalition to win the seat in November.

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