Lansing, Michigan — 6 News has confirmed that Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson will run for governor as a Democrat in the 2026 election, and he plans to formally announce his candidacy on Thursday. Swanson has considered running for governor for at least four years.
Current Governor Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and cannot run for re-election.
Swanson’s planned announcement follows current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s announced bid last week, though his team has yet to confirm his plans. Additionally, current Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will run as an independent, while Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt will seek the Republican Party nomination.
Former Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican, has also filed paperwork to run, but he has yet to announce his candidacy.
Swanson was appointed sheriff in 2019 and won the seat in 2020. He has been with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, the fifth largest in the state, since 2011.
Swanson’s biography states that he has nearly three decades of law enforcement experience in corrections, criminal investigations, human trafficking, and narcotics. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan.
According to the biography, Swanson helped form the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (G.H.O.S.T.) in 2018, which focuses on human trafficking and criminal sexual conduct.
After becoming Sheriff in 2020, he established Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally through Education (I.G.N.I.T.E.), a program that allows inmates at Genesee County Jail to attend school for two hours per day, five days a week, to help them find work after they are released.