Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist is expected to join the 2026 race for governor after filing paperwork with the Michigan Secretary of State on Tuesday to form a fundraising committee.

Gilchrist “has been considering the best way he can continue to solve problems and deliver for Michigan families,” a unnamed source close to the Detroit Democrat told the Detroit Free Press. “He plans to make a final decision and announcement next week.”

Gilchrist this week posted an RSVP for a “Special Announcement” scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit.

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

The lieutenant governor has been regularly named by political observers as a potential Democratic candidate for several high-profile offices, from governor, to U.S. Senate, to the mayor of Detroit.

In recent weeks, Gilchrist has worked to promote himself and his role in Michigan government, while weighing in on national issues like the conflict in Ukraine and cuts by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“This is the time to #StandTALLfor Michigan,” he posted to his personal X page on Thursday. “We fight, we win, we deliver – because Michigan doesn’t wait for progress, we make it. More news coming soon. Let’s go. @MichiganDems”

The former software engineer for Microsoft was relatively unknown in Michigan politics when he lost a bid for Detroit city clerk in 2017, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer tapped him as her running mate the next year.

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

Since assuming office in 2019, the 42-year-old father of three has repeatedly highlighted his status as the first Black lieutenant governor of Michigan.

“Today I became the 1^st Black Lt. Governor to sign a bill into law in Michigan’s history,” Gilchrist touts in a post to X that has been pinned to the top of his page since November 2019.

In his official state bio, Gilchrist contends he “has dedicated his career to solving problems” using “thoughtful and fact-based practices to make government work better for Michigan families on issues like entrepreneurship, criminal and juvenile justice, health care, affordable housing, and economic opportunity.”

“As leader of statewide task forces on jail, pretrial incarceration, and juvenile justice, he worked across the aisle to champion historic legislation to build a smarter and fairer justice system that saves taxpayer money and helps hundreds of thousands of Michiganders access better opportunity for jobs and housing,” the bio reads. “As chair of Michigan’s COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force, Lt. Governor Gilchrist acted decisively to respond to the pandemic’ disproportionate impact on communities of color.”

Gilchrist has also focused his time on expanding internet access, a statewide “Thriving Cities” tour, and serving as chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.

One announced, Gilchrist will follow a Michigan tradition of lieutenant governors running to replace their bosses, although those second to Govs. William Milliken, John Engler, Jennifer Granholm, and Rick Snyder lost their bids.

“There’s also tradition that none of them end up winning,” Whitmer noted in an interview with WJBK.

Whitmer, who is term limited, has not made an endorsement for the 2026 contest, which already includes Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Benson announced her candidacy in a botched rollout in January and already faces multiple campaign finance complaints, while Swanson is working to position himself as the “very progressive” candidate on the left after declaring his candidacy in February.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also ditched the Democratic Party in December to run for governor as an Independent, despite putting his efforts “100% behind Vice President Kamala Harris” in 2024.

On the Republican side, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, a former supporter of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, announced his candidacy in January after shifting his support to President Donald Trump.