About a year before Chris Swanson officially announced his campaign for governor, the Genesee County Sheriff’s face popped up on 62 Michigan billboards overlooking major throughfares.

“If you don’t love your kids someone else will,” the sheriff said in an ominous billboard quote promoting GHOST – an acronym for his Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team.

Swanson told WNEM at the time the advertising campaign was all about “awareness,” and he justified the statewide expense as a small price to pay to protect “our most important people.”

“If the people of this county travel all over the state, we should have people all over the state looking out for our most important people. And that’s why I’m so happy that it is statewide, it’s something that not one person owns,” Swanson said in one of many media interviews about the program. “GHOST will always be there, and so will I.”

Billing records obtained by The Midwesterner through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal the year-long statewide advertising campaign through Adams Outdoor Advertising of Michigan ultimately cost Genesee County taxpayers $13,000.

In November, Swanson signed off on a second year-long advertising campaign, doubling the taxpayer expense to $26,000 over two years with new billboards that launched in January.

“GHOST,” reads the billboards, which again feature a cross-armed Swanson peering over traffic, “Predators play for keeps.”

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Roughly five weeks after the second round of billboards went up, the sheriff announced his campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2026, pitching himself as a “very progressive” Democrat with “the largest crossover appeal to independent Republican voters.”

“What does that tell you? It tells people like myself that yes we have a two party system, but people are willing to vote for the person more now than they ever were before,” he told 760 WJR.

Thanks to the GHOST billboards, and the $26,000 contribution from Genesee County taxpayers, more Michiganders are now aware of the relatively unknown sheriff than otherwise would be.

But it’s not the first time Swanson has blurred the line between his official duties in Genesee County and his political aspirations for higher office.

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Swanson’s gubernatorial campaign follows several questionable efforts to promote Democrats in 2024, including an appearance in uniform at the Democratic National Convention to back then Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential bid and a campaign video for former President Joe Biden that attempted to cast President Donald Trump as anti-police.

In the latter, Swanson, in full uniform in what appeared to be his taxpayer-funded office, said he had “no desire to work with somebody who divides” – a shot at the 47^th POTUS.

Another video posted to Swanson’s Facebook page on July 10 featured the sheriff in a suit with his name and department insignia prominently displayed as he endorsed Domonique Clemons for Genesee County clerk.

Swanson also appeared with a police vehicle wearing a badge in a political advertisement for Kristen McDonald Rivet’s U.S. congressional campaign.

The appearances raised questions about potential violations of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, which imposes a misdemeanor with fines and jail time for the use of public resources to support a political campaign.

The Michigan Campaign Finance Act states a “public body or person acting for a public body shall not use or authorize the use of funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationery, postage, vehicles, equipment, supplies, other public resources” to support a political campaign.

Knowingly violating the Michigan Campaign Finance Act is misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and fine of $1,000, though the fine can increase to as much as $20,000 or the amount of the improper contribution or expenditure if the violator is not an individual, according to Michigan Advance.

While Swanson’s GHOST billboards seemingly circumvent the Michigan Campaign Finance Act protections by leveraging tax dollars to promote the GHOST program – rather than Swanson’s campaign specifically – there’s little doubt it will boost his name recognition at a time he needs it most.

So far, it seems to be working.

In October, shortly before Swanson renewed the billboard contract for a second year, a mere 2% of likely Democratic voters identified the sheriff as their candidate of choice for governor in 2026.

By March, the percentage of Democrats vowing to back Swanson had swelled to 11%, though the sheriff remained in last place for the Democratic primary, well behind Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson with 46% and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist at 13%.