DETROIT — Michigan Democrats will gather this Sunday at their state endorsement convention to decide who represents the party in the secretary of state race, currently held by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson.

Three candidates are vying for the party's endorsement: Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, and former Macomb County prosecutor Susanna Shkreli.

The convention will take place at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

We are prepared for a long day and shorter lines, said Curtis Hertel Jr., chair of the Michigan Democratic Party.

The voting process uses a text and email based system that Hertel describes as simple. The convention does not automatically place a candidate on the ballot. The chosen nominee must still secure an official nomination later in the year.

Election Administration Experience vs. Data Defense

Byrum, who has served as Ingham County clerk for 13 years, campaigns on her front-line election administration experience. She has conducted 42 elections in that capacity.

I am the only candidate running that is a clerk, she said. I have been a clerk in Ingham County for the past 13 years. I know election administration backwards and forwards.

Byrum, who also served 18 years in the state senate, prioritizes securing elections from foreign interference, modernizing outdated government systems for efficiency, and protecting mail-in voting.

Gilchrist, who has worked alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer as lieutenant governor since 2019, shifted his focus to the secretary of state race in January after initially announcing a run for governor. He describes himself as a software developer and the only statewide elected software developer in America.

The secretary of states office has more data and information on Michiganders than any other state department, he told WLNS-TV. I am a software developer. I know how to predict data and information.

Gilchrist promises to shine a light on money in politics, modernize licensing and registration, and stand against big tech companies and the Trump administration. He calls himself the apex predator of telling the truth and promises to use the office to rebut false claims in real time.

Noncitizen voting is illegal in Michigan, in the United States, he said. When noncitizens vote and are found to do so, they have been held accountable and they get thrown in jail. This has not happened.

Shkreli has previously served as assistant prosecutor in Macomb County, deputy legal counsel in Whitmer's administration, and as a Michigan State Lottery commissioner. Whitmer appointed her to serve as Michigans child advocate in 2021, and in 2023 she became director of juvenile justice reform within the Department of Health and Human Services.

We run a darn good election, she said. Any attempt for the SAVE Act or anything like that here in Michigan is really just an attempt to suppress the vote, to disenfranchise voters and a poll tax.

Republican Endorsement

During the Michigan Republican Party convention on March 28, the party endorsed Anthony Forlini for the role. The chosen Democrat will likely face him on the ballot this fall.

Democratic Convention Details

The Michigan Democratic Party state endorsement convention will determine the party's supported candidates for critical positions including Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Supreme Court, and State Board of Education.

Everybody has a chance to run. What is important is that we run a fair process, Hertel said. Its going to be an organizing effort. Who can get their people and their votes to the convention floor.

The midterm elections will be held on November 3, 2026.

Sources

  • https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/04/3-michigan-democrats-seek-party-nomination-for-secretary-of-state-job.html
  • https://wdet.org/2026/04/17/michmash-michigan-democrats-hold-2026-state-endorsement-convention/
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/democrats-split-best-positioned-guard-211100908.html