Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist speaks during a swearing-in ceremony as 64th lieutenant governor for his second term alongside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as Michigan’s 49th governor among other elected officials earlier this month. Gilchrist is considering running in the U.S. Senate race after U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow recently announced that she will be retiring.
The state’s lieutenant governor showed interest in running for Michigan’s open senate seat a week after Debbie Stabenow announced her retirement, FOX 2 Detroit reported.
When questioned about running for the seat in 2024 during a Tuesday afternoon interview with Stephen Henderson, Garlin Gilchrist responded that he and his wife were “thinking it.”
“I didn’t expect the senator to announce that she wasn’t going to seek reelection,” Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said in the article.
After Stabenow’s announcement of her pending departure, widespread rumors began about potential candidates from Michigan’s political scene. Every seat in the U.S. Senate is significant to the balance of power in Washington due to the narrow margins of victory, the news outlet reported.
Early contenders like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg immediately put the idea of them running into the ground. Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens, two members of the House of Representatives, are also reportedly considering a candidacy, the article noted.
Democrats have experienced triumphs in statewide races going back to 2018 when candidates for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state all won. In that time, Democrats Gary Peters and Stabenow have both successfully defended their seats.
Republicans still find the possibility of a vacant seat interesting because no incumbent will be running, assuming Stabenow doesn’t leave office before her term is up.
Rep. John James of the 10th district and former secretary of state Ruth Johnson have both been mentioned as contenders so far.
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