Garlin Gilchrist II, the primary Black individual elected as Michigan’s lieutenant governor, is throwing his hat within the 2026 race for governor, telling theGrio solely that he plans to take the state to “the following degree.”
“We’re at a generational inflection level,” stated Gilchrist, a former engineer and tech entrepreneur who left the non-public sector to be a neighborhood organizer and later political help earlier than he was tapped by Gretchen Whitmer to be her operating mate in 2018.
If elected in 2026, Gilchrist would turn out to be Michigan’s first Black governor and solely the fourth Black individual elected as a state government officer. He would observe within the footsteps of the traditionally elected former Govs. Douglas Wilder in Virginia (1989), Deval Patrick in Massachusetts (2006) and Wes Moore in Maryland (2022). Gilchrist informed theGrio he considers all three historic Black governors as mentors and supporters who’ve helped mannequin “what it means to be a public servant on the state degree, what it means to be a statewide government, and what it means to be attentive to folks.”
The 42-year-old says his distinctive lens as a younger Black man and expertise within the tech business is simply what the Wolverine State wants at this second. Rising up in Detroit, Gilchrist stated his neighborhood empowered him to see his “potential.” Reflecting on the historic nature of his candidacy, he shared, “I feel having a Black governor would additional shatter that ceiling to grasp that something is feasible.”
Gilchrist’s run for governor comes at a pivotal time as governments grapple with the enlargement of expertise and its affect on the American economic system. The millennial chief and former Microsoft software program engineer informed theGrio, “Expertise is altering. The way in which that individuals perceive and course of and obtain and interpret data is altering.”
He defined, “After I took workplace right here, Tiktok was a music app. No person knew what a big language mannequin was in 2018. It’s essential that now we have management that’s ready to reply to these occasions.” Gilchrist added, “I feel having an engineer in his mid-40s who’s a two-time entrepreneur who began and offered two expertise corporations is the suitable profile for a frontrunner at this second.”
As lieutenant governor, Gilchrist has traveled to all 83 counties a number of occasions. Throughout his travels across the state, he talked to constituents and discovered what Michiganders say they want most from state authorities — issues like decreasing the price of residing, inexpensive housing, and entry to well being care. Gilchrist informed theGrio, “That’s what led me to do the work that I’ve achieved alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer to put a very robust basis for the longer term.”
In a marketing campaign video asserting his marketing campaign on Tuesday, Gilchrist touted his efforts to create Michigan’s “Clear Slate” felony justice program and launch the Michigan Innovation Fund to encourage startup investments within the state. The husband and father of three stated, “I’m dedicated to constructing an economic system the place each household has what they should succeed.”
The gubernatorial hopeful says he needs to construct on the work of the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration in laying a basis to develop Michigan’s economic system, which incorporates diversifying the expertise business. However his push for range and his historic candidate profile comes as President Donald Trump’s new administration in Washington, D.C., has rolled again range, fairness, and inclusion efforts. The forty seventh president of the US has threatened to withhold federal {dollars} from governors, faculties, and personal corporations that don’t mirror his administration’s anti-“woke” priorities.
Gilchrist informed theGrio that he’s keen to make use of the Michigan governorship to go up in opposition to what he referred to as the “Trump-Musk administration” — a reference to the outsized position of billionaire Tesla, X, and Area X proprietor Elon Musk, who’s serving as a senior advisor to Trump and head of the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity. The chief division has led the Trump administration’s efforts (seemingly unilaterally at occasions) to remove federal funding waste or fraud.
Because the son of a father who served as a federal contractor for the Division of Protection and a mom who retired at Normal Motors, Gilchrist stated the Trump administration’s arbitrary cuts to 1000’s of federal jobs and tariff battles with international locations like Canada, Mexico and China are “deeply private and offensive.”
“Had Musk and Trump been in energy throughout my dad’s 34-year profession with the federal authorities, they may have destroyed my household’s livelihood,” stated Gilchrist. He continued, “These tariffs would have been catastrophic, not only for our household, however for the entire provide chain and worth chain that has an enormous presence within the state of Michigan.”
Gilchrist stated the brand new administration has induced “nothing however chaos, confusion and calamity for people, for communities and for companies within the state of Michigan, the place our massive producers and our rising corporations search for stability and competence.” He added, “I’m an engineer; I clear up issues — I don’t create them.”
Reflecting on his six years serving alongside Gov. Whitmer — who is commonly talked about as a possible presidential candidate within the 2028 election — Gilchrist stated he’s “gained an amazing quantity.” He informed theGrio, “We predict we’ve set the state of Michigan up for achievement.”
“She’s inspired me to construct on that basis and to take action in my very own method,” stated the lieutenant governor, who famous that he and Whitmer are “completely different folks” and he’s “stepping up at a unique time.”
“The world was completely different in 2018 than it’s right here in 2025,” stated Gilchrist. “She’s been encouraging, and I respect that, and now I’m able to go and have a unique dialog with folks in Michigan about how I can work with them going ahead.”
