Garlin Gilchrist wins secretary of state election, maintaining Democratic control of office

Democratic nominee and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II has won the race for Michigan Secretary of State, defeating Republican nominee and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini by a margin of nearly eight percentage points as of 2:00 a.m., the time at which the Associated Press called the race. 

“The biggest difference between us and them, the biggest difference between Michigan and the rest of the country, the biggest difference between Democrats and those who vote against Democrats, is we have a place for everyone,” Gilchrist said in a victory speech. “Our vision is big enough to include everyone. Their vision is so small, so narrow, so weak that everybody can’t live. But Michigan, my arms are wide enough. I’m tall enough to bring everybody in the big picture.”

Unofficial election results show Gilchrist received 52.1% of the vote, while Forlini pulled in 44.4%. Third-party candidates Scott Aughney of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, Eric Borregard of the Green Party and Christine Sloan of the Libertarian Party received 0.6%, 0.4% and 1.7% of the vote respectively.

Two late October polls showed Gilchrist with a distinct lead over Forlini — he held a nine-point lead in one poll and an eleven-point lead in the other, both outside their respective margins of error. As a current statewide executive, Gilchrist benefited from broader name recognition than Forlini, as well as an overall positive environment for Democratic candidates in 2026. 

Forlini conceded the race in a statement just before 2:30 a.m.

“Tonight, the people of Michigan made their decision. While this is not the outcome we hoped for, I respect the voters’ choice and congratulate Garlin Gilchrist on his victory as Michigan’s next Secretary of State,” he wrote. “I am encouraged by the Republicans, Independents, and Democrats who came together to support me. We demonstrated that people do not have to agree on every issue — or belong to the same political party — to recognize the value of experience, integrity and common sense leadership.”

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won the gubernatorial election and Washtenaw County Clerk Eli Savit won the Michigan attorney general race, maintaining Democratic control in the three main elected statewide executive positions — a boost to the Democratic agenda with single-party control.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.