The race for Michigan secretary of state takes shape as Republican Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini and Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist emerge as the two main candidates in what is expected to be a closely watched general election.

Forlini won the Republican nomination on March 28 at a convention in Novi, receiving 55% of the vote on the first ballot. The current Macomb County Clerk has been in his position since 2020 and has won a second term in 2024. As part of that job, he oversees elections in Michigan's third-most-populous county.

Gilchrist secured the Democratic nomination on April 20 at a convention in Detroit, defeating former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum. The lieutenant governor has served as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's second-in-command since 2019.

If Gilchrist wins the general election, he will be only the second Black secretary of state in Michigan's history, following Richard H. Austin, who served from 1971 to 1995. It would also make him the first Democrat since Austin to succeed another Democrat in the seat.

The winner of the November general election will succeed Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is term-limited and running for governor. As Michigan's top election official, their job duties will include issuing IDs, registering vehicles, and overseeing the 2028 presidential election in the crucial swing state.

Forlini touted his experience running elections during the GOP convention. He regularly mentions that as Macomb County clerk, he conducted a forensic audit of the 2020 election in his county, which turned up no outside interference. He also introduced watermarked paper for ballots and hash validations on tabulators.

Forlini has made election security a major focus of his campaign. He has promised to clean up the voter rolls and provide additional training for election workers. He has also teamed up with Americans for Citizens Voting, a group attempting to put a question on the November ballot about whether Michiganders should need to prove their citizenship to register to vote.

His campaign manager Scott Greenlee said Forlini supports President Donald Trump's controversial SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

Fiscally, Forlini promises to curb the office's spending. That's a conservative value, as well as a savings for taxpayers.

Gilchrist has promised to fight Trump's executive orders on voting, including protecting Michigan voters' right to vote by mail. He has placed an emphasis on voter privacy since joining the race in January after dropping his gubernatorial bid.

After Republicans nominated Forlini, Gilchrist immediately took shots at him as a MAGA extremist who would work with federal Republicans to weaponize voters' private data. Forlini returned the favor on Sunday night after Gilchrist was nominated, saying in a statement that while he respected Gilchrist as a person, he is concerned with what he had read in the Detroit News recently, that Mr. Gilchrist showed up for work in his current role only 6% of the time.

Gilchrist has also promised to advocate for legislation to improve campaign finance regulations and ensure voters know their ballots are secure. On his campaign website, he has also promised to modernize licensing and registration for cars and hold accountable companies that rip you off when you get your car fixed.

After his victory was announced around 9 p.m. on Sunday, Gilchrist was exuberant. In his acceptance speech, he criticized Republicans for being small, citing his own height — 6 feet, 8 inches — as the stature needed to defend voting rights against Trump.

We need to make sure Donald Trump is not as successful at rigging voting as he has been at raising prices, Gilchrist told the crowd.

Gilchrist told Votebeat after winning the nomination that the first thing he expected to do if he wins the job is to prepare for all the elections ahead.

We have to make sure that we start getting prepared for the election administration challenges that will inevitably come from the Trump administration during our 2027 and 2028 elections in Michigan, he said. We need to make sure we get to work preparing the rule-making process for the next independent citizens redistricting commission.

Gilchrist faces criticism for comments from his governor bid. Secretary of state was not the first job Gilchrist sought this election cycle. He was originally running to replace the term-limited Gretchen Whitmer before dropping out in January and switching to the secretary of state race.

He was criticized for saying during a speech at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's national convention that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is committing a genocide on the Palestinian people. He later apologized but clarified that, while he was not retracting his beliefs, he regretted that some had perceived the comments as anti-Semitic.

Shkreli joined the race in December, more than a month before Gilchrist did. She told MIRS earlier this month that Gilchrist told me point-blank that he did not want this job.

Gilchrist's opponents also questioned whether he really wanted to be secretary of state or just jumped in after recognizing there was not a clear path to the governorship.

Forlini's supporters credited his victory to his experience running elections. Brian Pannebecker, a delegate from Macomb County, said he voted for Forlini because he's known him for more than two decades and considers him a good person.

I've followed his career, from Harrison Township to state rep, and I know him to be honest and a decent family man, Pannebecker said.

Even those who voted for other candidates liked Forlini's background, they told Votebeat.

Forlini seems like a good guy, said Bill Holt, an Oakland County delegate who wore an Amanda Love shirt at the convention. He's got good experience.

Conventiongoers were also excited about Forlini's perceived electability, a top concern for the party after it nominated Kristina Karamo as its secretary of state candidate in 2022. Karamo, who repeated Trump's baseless claims of large-scale voter fraud in the 2020 election, lost to Benson 56% to 42%.

A wall of campaign signs at the Michigan GOP convention in Novi on March 28, 2026.

Pannebecker expected Forlini would be able to turn out voters who otherwise might not cast ballots in the midterms.

He's got a loyal base, Pannebecker said. He's well known and well liked. It's going to make a difference.

Sen. Jim Runestad, the chair of the Michigan GOP, said that Forlini and Doug Lloyd, who was nominated for attorney general, are both highly qualified candidates.

Forlini has done a wonderful job as Macomb clerk, Runestad said, and has a track record of defeating incumbent Democrats in past elections. We couldn't have gotten a better candidate for secretary of state.

Forlini faces scrutiny over hiring Jan. 6 attendee. Back in 2022, Forlini faced criticism for hiring Genevieve Peters Scott to train poll workers in Macomb County. Peters Scott attended the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to reporting by Politico, and encouraged the crowd there to storm the gates.

Forlini told The Detroit News at the time that Peters Scott was one of several people who applied for the job and was head and shoulders above other candidates.

Peters Scott, speaking to Votebeat on Saturday, said that Forlini picked her because of her passion and energy. She applauded his victory, saying he would be the most outstanding secretary of state Michigan ever had or will have.

Welling up, she called him a man of deep integrity.

He does not go to make friends, he goes to set the standard, Peters Scott said. And, on the way, he sets the standard and makes friends.

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