Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist has won the Michigan Secretary of State race, beating out Republican Anthony Forlini, the Associated Press projects.
Gilchrist has served as the lieutenant governor under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer since 2019 and was nominated for secretary of state earlier this year after dropping out of the governor's race.
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A Detroit native, Gilchrist went to the University of Michigan and previously worked at Microsoft and as a social media manager for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign before moving back to Detroit to work for city government.
With 79% of the vote in as of 2 a.m. Wednesday, Gilchrist has 52.79% of the vote compared to 44.5% for Forlini.
Forlini was elected Macomb County Clerk in 2020 and previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives and as the Harrison Township Clerk.
“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. As the Clerk of Michigan’s third largest county, I look forward to working with Secretary-elect Gilchrist in any way I can to better serve Michigan’s clerks and citizens," Forlini said in a statement.
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