Garlin Gilchrist II

Candidate for Secretary of State

Garlin Gilchrist II earned two engineering degrees at the University of Michigan and worked as a software engineer at Microsoft. After moving back to Detroit he went into public service for the city, and he later became lieutenant governor under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He left the 2026 race for governor in January 2026 to seek the Secretary of State nomination, which he secured at the Michigan Democratic Party convention on April 19, 2026. He lives in Detroit with his wife, Ellen, and their three children.

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