Updates About Governor

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II announced recently that he is dropping out from the Gubernatorial race where he has been campaigning for the spot as Michigan’s next Democratic Governor, alongside frontrunner and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

After bowing out of the race for Governor, Gilchrist announced that he is now seeking his party’s nomination for Secretary of State. His new opponents, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli, both criticized his decision in statements made on social media. Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie responded by exiting the race and has since endorsed Gilchrist, urging party unity while also admitting that Gilchrist’s entry shrunk his own path to victory.

At the 2025 annual meeting for the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), our very own Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, was unanimously elected to serve as vice chair. DGA is a political organization that lends support to Democratic gubernatorial candidates and fellow governors.

The organization has tasked Whitmer with aiding key Democratic candidates in their 2026 gubernatorial campaigns nationwide. As Governor of a swing state, Whitmer stated that she intends to apply the same approach that she used here in Michigan: focusing on lowering costs and creating jobs. She will serve alongside DGA chair-elect Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who succeeded her as vice chair prior to Whitmer’s appointment.

A few of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s latest appointments to state boards and commissions include:

9-1-1 Committee

• Steven Berenbaum – Reappointed
• Timothy McKee Sr. – Reappointed

Certificate of Need Commission

• Patricia Anderson – Succeeds Daniel Velez

Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council

• Jeffrey Parsons – Reappointed

Developmental Disabilities Council

• Kristen Morningstar – Succeeds Belinda Hawks

Health Information Technology Commission

• Todd Belding – Succeeds Hana Alawy
• Charles Hong – Succeeds Alison Arnold

Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

• Rachael Prusi – Reappointed