By Craig Mauger, cmauger@detroitnews.com
LANSING, Mich. — Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is considering ending his campaign to be Michigan’s next governor and instead joining the race for secretary of state in the coming days, according to three sources with knowledge of internal discussions that have been playing out among top state Democrats.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly address the deliberations.
A spokesman for Gilchrist’s campaign didn’t respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
Gilchrist’s potential exit from the gubernatorial primary would be a boon to Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who’s been viewed by many as the favorite to win the party’s nomination in August. The only other Democrat in the race is Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
Democrats face a complicated path to try to keep the governor’s office in the November general election. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who used to be a Democrat, is running for governor as an independent, and Michigan voters have traditionally elected the other party after one party held the office for two terms.
Michigan’s current governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, can’t run again this year because of voter-imposed term limits.
Gilchrist, 43, of Detroit, was Whitmer’s running mate in 2018 and 2022. The former software engineer and ex-candidate for Detroit clerk launched his own bid for governor in March, saying Michigan needed a “problem solver.”
However, Gilchrist has struggled to raise money and appeared to struggle to cut into Benson’s support among Democratic primary voters.
As of Oct. 20, Benson’s campaign had $2.98 million available to spend, while Gilchrist’s campaign had $378,000 available to spend.
The Democratic secretary of state nominee will be selected by party members at a convention on April 19. Some Democrats view Gilchrist as a potential strong contender if he joins the race because of his reputation within the party, his progressive stances and his ties to Whitmer.
The Democratic secretary of state field already features Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie and former state Sen. Adam Hollier and Suzanna Shkreli, the state’s former lottery commissioner.
