Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist is the latest Democrat to announce he’s running for governor in 2026. It’s Just Politics co-host Rick Pluta spoke with the Lt. Governor about why he’s running. Plus, Pluta and co-host Zoe Clark are joined by Gongwer New Service President, and co-host of MichMash, Zach Gorchow, and Beth LeBlanc, politics reporter at The Detroit News.
Rick Pluta: Why should you be the next governor of Michigan?
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist: Rick, I'm an engineer and a problem solver, and I've spent time in all 83 counties of Michigan more than three times getting to know people and listening to what's important to them, what they're excited about, but also what they're anxious about and the problems that they have. And I'm a problem solver. I'm a solution builder. And I've demonstrated that on the issues that matter to people, from housing to health care. I want Michigan to be the best place for people to know that they can be their best. They can stay, they can succeed, they can have an idea and be successful. And I've delivered on results to make that happen for the last six years, and I want to build on that foundation as the next governor.
RP: What will a signature issue of your campaign be?
GG: Well, there's going to be a lot of issues that are important, but I'll give you two. So, on housing, I'm the only candidate in this race who has delivered, starting back in 2019, when I did a tour called Thriving Cities, going to communities all across the state of Michigan and talking about what it took for them to thrive and I heard about the issues of affordable housing. As a result of that, I spearheaded the push for hundreds of millions of dollars to go to our state housing trust fund. That's resulted in 50,000 new housing units coming online since that time. Another issue is health care, you know, during Covid, during the pandemic, when we saw big racial disparities and disparities in terms of income and wealth, I led the task force that made Michigan the only state in the country to close the disparity on Covid 19 deaths. But, also, I've led on mental health services. In every single community, I hear from parents who are like me, they have school age kids that are concerned about their kids mental health and well-being, or veterans and their families health and well-being. I helped to create that Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic program alongside Senator Debbie Stabenow, that has increased the capacity of mental health service providers who participate in it by as much as 40%. I want to build on that foundation to deliver the solutions, again, so people can feel their best, be their best, and stay and succeed. And, so, those are two examples of the kinds of solutions I'm going to build, the problems we're going to solve, to make things happen, to make things better for Michiganders.
RP: How will you distinguish yourself from Governor Whitmer, who's been your partner now for more than half a decade?
GG: You know, we are in different times. I'm really proud of the work that I've done with Governor Whitmer. We solved a ton of problems and laid a good foundation for the future. But, times change, Rick. You know, when we took office in 2018, TikTok was a music app; large language models in AI were things that a lot of people hadn’t heard of or really didn’t understand. And different times call for different leadership with different experiences, and I bring that as a software engineer, as a software entrepreneur, as a person who understands technology and problem solving and solution building. I'm the kind of person who's ready to get in here, in this moment, and get things done. And I think this is the leadership we need to meet the moment and the opportunities and the challenges that we face.
RP: I am sure you know the track record of lieutenant governors who run for governor in Michigan. It's been more than four decades since a lieutenant governor has succeeded the governor they've served with. You know this. Why do you think you can break that trend?
GG: Because, again, the record and relationships and results that I've built and delivered here in the state of Michigan is really different. I’m the only candidate in this race that has spent that much time with people all over Michigan delivering and bringing value to them, their lives, the local economies, to make Michigan the best place for us to stay and succeed. So I'm building on a foundation that is strong because of the work that I put in, and I'm going to go out there and continue to be people-driven and people-first and earn that support, earn that trust, earn that rapport and keep delivering. That's what I do. You know, I build solutions. I, as an engineer, it’s where I’m most comfortable. And so that's very different than my predecessors. But it's going to be the right leadership for the future of Michigan.
RP: Finally, L.G., you said you will push back against President Trump, who won Michigan last year and maybe push back harder than Governor Whitmer. Why?
GG: Well, look, my job as governor of Michigan is going to be to protect, promote, and advance the interests of the state of Michigan. And whenever they're under threat, you know, whether it's the tens of thousands of federal workers who are under threat and already bringing layoffs to the state of Michigan. You know, I think about people like my father, who worked for 34 years for the Department of Defense, who got the job when I was three months old, and he worked in the Stryker Brigade combat vehicle, an important part of the Army's arsenal. And had he been summarily fired by Elon Musk with no rhyme or reason, that vehicle could have been less safe, lives would have been saved, and our family's economic stability would have been decimated. I'm going to stand up for those families in Michigan who are under that kind of threat. You know, so, we got to play defense. But Rick, you know, I'm 6’8”. I'm a ball player. And sometimes the best defense is a good offense. So I will absolutely not hesitate to take on this administration when it serves the interests of the people of Michigan.
RP: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, thanks for your time.
GG: Thanks, Rick.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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