Byrum’s secretary of state run has the ring of inevitability to it

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum launched her secretary of state bid this week in a move that probably doesn’t surprise you because of the inevitability of it all. 

I mean, we all expected it would come to this at some point, didn’t we? Byrum isn’t your behind-the-scenes bureaucrat signing marriage licenses and taking your $100 filing fee for political office, after all. 

Since she took over as county clerk in 2013, Byrum has been a forward-facing elections authority, more than willing to go to war over social media or in public with anyone deafly parroting election fraud rhetoric. 

Seemingly as comfortable in large crowds as small groups, it feels as if Byrum has always viewed her territorial boundaries as being more than the 556 square miles of Ingham County. She’s felt like a statewide candidate for years. 

It explains why Byrum was mentioned as recently as 2024 for a possible congressional bid or as far back as the 2017 cycle for secretary of state until Jocelyn Benson made it clear she wanted to give it another go. 

The other thing is votes. Byrum earns them. Consistently. 

You may not believe this next line, so please feel from to triple-check it for me. 

After Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wrigglesworth, Byrum earned more votes in Ingham County than anybody else on the ballot in November 2024. It was close, but Byrum’s 94,829 votes was more than Kamala Harris’ 94,542 or Elissa Slotkin’s 94,679. 

She draws some Republican support because beyond the clear partisan fire she doesn’t mind showing from time to time, Byrum has also shown she’s extremely competent. 

When Jill Stein tried that silly recount stunt in 2016, a lot of other county clerks wrung their hands and bemoaned all of the work that lay in front of them.  Not Byrum. She rallied her troops, opened up the ballot boxes and got to work. By the time the whole exercise was called off, Ingham County was one of the few that could say it got the job done anyway.  

Republicans may cringe when they see her condescending social media lectures, but they respect the fact that she does her job well. 

I understand Byrum hasn’t been a statewide candidate for only more than a few hours, but I don’t feel like I’m going too far out on a limb in calling her the front runner for the nomination. 

The Democrats have another candidate in Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie, who clearly has the resume to pull off a credible run, but he simply hasn’t won an election. He’s tried, he but hasn’t really come close. 

Byrum won a competitive state House seat in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. On top of that, her mother, former Michigan State University trustees’ Chair Dianne Byrum, has been on the ballot statewide twice before.  

We know the Byrum name in these parts from their rural Ace hardware stores and from elected politics. But the Byrum name has some juice outside of mid-Michigan, which gives her a lift. 

In a sure sign that her path to a Democratic nomination is paved in gold, Sen. Jeremy Moss — who didn’t make it a secret that he was eyeing secretary of state in 2026 with Benson termed limited — announced about a month ago that he was running for a Metro Detroit congressional seat that he doesn’t live in. 

Clearly, it’s early. Candidates are getting in earlier and earlier to stake their ground and hope to Big Foot their way to victory by clearing the field of potential competitors.  

In the case of Byrum, though, it might just work. The Democratic Party likely will have an early nominating convention less than a year from now to essentially pick its ‘26 nominee. 

Byrum has been to more than a few of these conventions and has more than a few friends. 

It all makes her candidacy not only make sense but also feel as if it’s truly the best option Democrats have in 2026.

(Kyle Melinn is editor of the Capitol news service MIRS. His email is melinnky@gmail.com.)