Former Michigan House speaker joins Republican gubernatorial fray

Updated at 10:01 a.m.

Tom Leonard, a former Michigan Speaker of the House and former candidate for attorney general, has entered the Republican gubernatorial chat, announcing his bid for the top office in 2026.

Leonard announced his intention to run for governor Monday evening in a news release. He touted his status as a lifelong Michigander and his conservative leadership as assets in the general election should he be nominated by the Michigan Republican Party voters early next year.

The former legislator said his campaign would focus on turning Michigan into a “growth state” and making life more affordable by “lowering taxes, reforming burdensome regulations and empowering workers through freedom to work policies.”

“Michigan currently ranks second-to-last in unemployment, and our education system is bottom 10 in the nation,” Leonard said in a statement. “We cannot afford another lost decade where our children are forced to leave the state for better opportunity. My priority throughout this campaign will be to lay out a positive vision with real solutions to address our state’s most pressing problems with a clear focus on making Michigan a growth state.”

Leonard served three terms in the House from 2013 to 2018. He served as House speaker in his third and final term. He was an assistant attorney general before that, as well as a special crimes division prosecutor for Genesee County.

The candidate said his campaign would also focus on three other issues: improving third grade reading outcomes, addressing Michigan’s mental health crisis and “bringing real accountability to state government.” That includes subjecting the executive branch to the Freedom of Information Act – which other candidates have promised before but to no avail – and increasing the budget of the Office of the Auditor General to hold Lansing accountable.

“Less than 40% of our third graders can read proficiently. We are sleepwalking through an educational crisis that is robbing our children of their futures,” Leonard said. “We are losing a generation of kids because the political class has continued to focus on appeasing special interests over children. It’s time to stop making excuses and start delivering results for parents and students.”

His campaign announcement also noted that Bill Stepien would manage his campaign. Stepien is a former political director with the White House and campaign manager for President Donald Trump.

In reaction to the announcement, Michigan Democratic Party Spokesperson Tommy Kubitschek said Leonard was “the latest failed Republican statewide candidate” to enter the GOP’s gubernatorial primary.

“Leonard is an extreme and out-of-touch politician who has spent his career fighting against our public schools, voting against expanding healthcare coverage, and opposing reproductive rights and contraception access. With a roster of rejected statewide candidates now running against each other, the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary is set to be a bitter and messy race to the right,” Kubitschek said in a statement.

Also in the race for Michigan governor on the Republican side are Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township), former state attorney general Mike Cox, U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township), Genesee County truck driver Anthony Hudson and Traverse City native Evan Space. 

Democrats seeking to be governor include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, while Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, is running as an independent.

This story was updated with comment from the Michigan Democratic Party.