Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she won't endorse in 2 key Democratic races

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Apr 8, 2026

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PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that she won't make endorsements in either the Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate or the Democratic convention contest for secretary of state, a race that features her own lieutenant governor.

After a press conference celebrating the start of the road construction season in the state, Whitmer told reporters she's "not going to make endorsements prior to the convention," which will take place April 19 in Detroit.

Democrats from across Michigan will gather on that date to pick nominees for attorney general and secretary of state. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, who was Whitmer's running mate in 2018 and 2022, and Suzanna Shkreli, a former member of Whitmer's administration, are both seeking the secretary of state job, along with Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, who served with Whitmer in the Legislature.

Meanwhile, Whitmer said on Wednesday that she will stay out of the heated three-way Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate. That nomination will be decided by primary voters on Aug. 4.

"I want to make sure that I don't lose sight of the job that I have to do every single day as governor," Whitmer said, when asked why she wasn't making endorsements in those key races.

But Whitmer acknowledged that she has endorsed candidates in some other contests in recent months.

As examples, she's publicly supported state Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Bloomfield Township, for a seat in the U.S. House and state Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo for another U.S. House seat.

Whitmer didn't explain on Wednesday what made those races different than the marquee contests for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat and the secretary of state's office.

She's in her eighth and final year as Michigan's governor and remains influential among many state Democrats.

Whitmer's presence has loomed over the competitive secretary of state campaign, in part because of Gilchrist's involvement.

Gilchrist has won the support of some labor groups, like the United Auto Workers and the Michigan Education Association. But Whitmer hasn't weighed in publicly.

In the Democratic Senate primary, former candidate for governor Abdul El-Sayed, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens are believed to be in a close race for their party's nomination.

The seat is open because Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, declined to seek another term.

Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and a Michigan political consultant with the firm Grassroots Midwest, said Whitmer's statement about not endorsing in the races was likely the result of her weighing the impact she could have against the potential political costs.

In the secretary of state campaign, for example, there are multiple candidates with close ties to the governor and to interest groups that have long-standing relationships with her, Hemond noted.

"Is the juice worth the squeeze?" Hemond asked.

Whitmer defeated El-Sayed in a three-way Democratic primary for governor in 2018 that also featured businessman Shri Thanedar, who is now a congressman from Detroit.

Whitmer also hasn't endorsed a candidate for governor. She has previously said her role as vice chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association, which works to elect Democratic candidates for governor positions across the country, prevents her from getting involved in the primary contest between Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

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