Detroit — Michigan Democrats nominated Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II as their candidate for secretary of state, choosing the former software engineer over Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and former lottery commissioner Suzanna Shkreli at a state convention in Detroit.
Gilchrist will face off in November against the Republican nominee, Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, for the chance to run Michigan’s elections and manage motor vehicle records.
While accepting his nomination for secretary of state, Gilchrist said the role is about making systems efficient for all drivers and protecting the votes of every individual in Michigan.
“This is about making sure voices can be heard and freedoms can be realized,” Gilchrist said in his acceptance speech at Huntington Place.
Democrats also nominated Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit to be their attorney general candidate this fall at Sunday’s endorsement convention at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit.
The party would not release a vote breakdown for any of the races.
Forlini, in a statement Sunday, congratulated the lieutenant governor and said he looked forward to competing against Gilchrist for the role of state elections chief.
“While I respect him as a person, I am concerned with what I had read in the Detroit News recently, that Mr. Gilchrist showed up for work in his current role only 6% of the time,” Forlini said. “That is not what the hardworking people of Michigan expect.”
Gilchrist has served under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for nearly eight years. He is a software engineer by trade and a former unsuccessful candidate for Detroit clerk.
Gilchrist initially ran for governor before dropping his bid to succeed Whitmer in January and launching a campaign for the Democratic Party convention nomination for secretary of state.
The switch left a clearer path for current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to seek the Democratic nomination for governor in August. Her lone remaining opponent in the Aug. 4 primary is Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
Forlini, who was picked for the Republican ticket last month, has served as the Macomb County clerk since 2021 and previously served as a state representative.
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lt. Gov. Gilchrist wins Democratic nomination for secretary of state
Reporting by Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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