Vultures circling Gilchrist, Swanson campaigns

The race to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2026 is quickly becoming uncompetitive.

This week’s campaign finance reports paint a dire picture for Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan’s absentee lieutenant governor, and the charismatic but-in-over-his-head Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

A couple other people are claiming to be running for the Democratic nomination, too, but unless someone else of stature and/or independent wealth gets into this race, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is your winner next August.

Here’s the cash-on-hand number from this week: Benson $2.982 million, Gilchrist $378,457 and Swanson $385,189.

On its face, these numbers aren’t good for anyone not named Jocelyn Benson.

Barring something seismic next August, Benson will be nominee, and it goes beyond the above-mentioned numbers.

Let’s start with Gilchrist. His only job, according to the state Constitution — which he’s paid $111,510 to do — is to preside over the state Senate.

Of the 98 times the Senate has gaveled into session this year, Gilchrist has been there five times. That’s it. Five. 

Look, Michigan’s last three lieutenant governors also ran for governor in their final terms. In the year before their presumed campaign year, John Cherry, Brian Calley and Dick Posthumus held the gavel in the Senate for at least two-thirds of those sessions.

Gilchrist said in a September statement that he’s off having “conversations about housing, health care, affordability and the economy,” but it’s not clear where those conversations are taking place.

Gilchrist’s gubernatorial campaign showed signs of life with several events in one week earlier this month, but other than that … crickets.

He’s not holding fundraisers. This week’s reports show he’s done six all year. One of which his mom threw for him. By comparison, Benson has had 33 across the country — and she has a state department to run.

Gilchrist is not in Lansing, offering commentary to the Capitol Press Corps. The governor’s office quit sending advisories alerting the media of his whereabouts a few months ago. He’s nowhere to be found.

Gilchrist is trying to raise money through the same type of ActBlue online networking scheme that nearly all major Democratic candidates use, but the amounts he’s netting are small and barely paying the expenses of keeping a campaign going.

Swanson’s campaign, on the other hand, is not staying afloat. His last campaign finance report showed he’s spending more money than he’s taking in, and there’s little hope that it’ll turn around.

He’s milked his Genesee County connections, and he’s struggling to expand beyond that. Personally, Swanson is an energetic and instantly likeable person, but Benson is running circles around him in every way possible.

Benson is acting like a general election candidate, and she has every reason to be. 

She added $562,207 to her cash-on-hand total in the last three months, more than anyone else running for governor. She only spent 54% of what she raised, the lowest burn rate of any other candidate who didn’t give personal money to their campaign.

The secretary of state literally has connections everywhere, and she’s using them. California, Colorado, Washington D.C., Illinois, wherever. Benson is raising money in 10 U.S. states.

Celebrities, high rollers and regular hard-working people are all cutting Benson checks. Also in her corner is billionaire Stephen Ross, for whom she worked 10 years ago as his philanthropic investments adviser. (Super PAC coming?)

The filing deadline is April 21, so it’s still possible another Democratic candidate with some independent wealth or significant name ID gets in, I guess. Attorney General Dana Nessel is still out there.

But Democrats, et al., are looking ahead to a general election battle against a well-funded Republican AND and well-funded independent in Mike Duggan. They don’t see an expensive primary as being particularly necessary. 

Benson’s resume is good. Her views are properly inoffensive to your run-of-the-mill Democrat. Barring a scandal, there’s no need to disrupt the inevitable.

And at this point, Benson’s nomination looks inevitable.

(Kyle Melinn is the editor of the Capitol news service MIRS. You can email him at melinnky@gmail.com)