Get to know the candidates to be the next Michigan Secretary of State!
On November 4th, 2026, Michiganders will vote for the next Republican or Democratic Secretary of State. The current Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, has served for 8 years and is term-limited. It's time, yet again, for a fresh perspective!
This article summarizes what’s publicly known so far about the candidates in the race, based on information available from official filings, news reports, and candidate communications. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
Bookmark this page for reference throughout the campaign and follow the candidates on social media. We will be tracking articles about the candidates and will share them with you here.
Table of Contents
About This Article: Last update: 2025-10-16. While we do our best to be thorough and accurate, we might miss something—so always double-check official sources when possible. Michigan Women is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, and our goal is simply to make civic information easier to find and understand.
The candidates listed have active campaign committees on file with the Michigan Bureau of Elections. Some campaigns are in early stages and may have limited public information available at this time.
Democratic Candidates
- Garlin Gilchrest, Michigan Lieutenant Governor
- Barb Byrum, Ingham County Clerk
- Suzanna Shkreli, Former Michigan Lottery Commissioner
Republican Candidates
- Anthony Forlini, Macomb County Clerk
- Monica Yatooma, GEIA, Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships
- Amanda Love, [Can't find where she works]
- Timothy Smith, Gentex (not sure what position)
Dropped Out Candidates
- Adam Hollier (D), Army Reserves, Former MI State Senator
- Aghogho Edevbie (D), MI Deputy Secretary of State
How Michigan Picks Party Nominees for Secretary of State
Michigan doesn’t hold public primaries for most statewide offices—including Secretary of State, Attorney General, Michigan Supreme Court, and state university boards. Instead, each political party selects its nominees at conventions, where credentialed delegates decide who appears on the November general election ballot.
Read, How Michigan Chooses Nominees for Statewide Offices, to learn how the process works, how early endorsements have shifted the political calendar, and how you can participate in shaping who makes it to the general election.
Democratic Candidates
Garlin Gilchrest (D)
- Website: https://garlingilchrist.com
- Current Job: State of Michigan
- Job Title: Lieutenant Governor
- Age: 42
- Date of Birth: 9/25/1982
- City: Detroit
- County: Wayne
[Back to Top]
Barb Byrum (D)
- Website: https://barbbyrum.com/
- Current Job: Ingham County
- Job Title: Clerk
- Age: 47
- Date of Birth: 11/10/1977
- City: [Not sure]
- County: Ingham
[Back to Top]
Suzanna Shkreli (D)
- Website: https://suzannashkreli.com/
- Former Job: Michigan Lottery (Resigned to run for SOS)
- Job Title: Former Commissioner
- Age:
- Date of Birth:
- City:
- County: Oakland
Articles
[Back to Top]
Republican Candidates
Anthony Forlini (R)
- Website: https://forliniforus.com/
- Current job: Macomb County
- Job Title: Clerk
- Age: 63
- Date of Birth: 02/04/1962
- City: [Not sure]
- County: Macomb
[Back to Top]
Monica Yatooma (R)
- Website: https://monicaformichigan.com/
- Current Job: GEIA
- Job Title: Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships
- Age: 38
- Date of Birth: 1987
- City: Commerce Township
- County: Oakland
[Back to Top]
Amanda Love (R)
- Website: https://www.loveformi.net/
- Current Job: [Can't find]
- Job Title: [Can't Find]
- Age: -
- Date of Birth: -
- City: Independence Township
- County: Oakland
Articles
[Back to Top]
Timothy Smith (R)
Articles
[Back to Top]
Dropped Out Candidates
Adam Hollier (D)
- Website: https://adamhollier.com/
- Current Job: Army Reserves, Former MI State Senator
- Job Title: Team Chief and Paratrooper. 412th Civil Affairs Battalion
- Age: 40
- Date of Birth: 09/26/1985
- City: Detroit
- County: Wayne
- Articles
[Back to Top]
Aghogho Edevbie (D)
- Website: https://aghogho.com/
- Current Job: State of Michigan
- Job Title: Deputy Secretary of State
- Age: 38
- Date of Birth: 07/27/1987
- City: Detroit
- County: Wayne
- Articles
Political Committees
Understanding political committees and campaign finance laws is crucial for informed voting. Learn about their roles, regulations, and how to stay informed: What Are Political Committees (PACs) in Elections.
The following committees and organizations are political action committees (PACs) that have registered campaign activity related to the Secretary of State race. They are not candidates.
- Jaffe Snider Raitt Heuer and Weiss Political Committee
Affiliated with the Michigan law firm Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss
https://www.jaffelaw.com/
- Kevin Coleman Future Leaders Fund
Political leadership PAC associated with Michigan political activity
No public website identified
- UNITE HERE TIP Campaign Committee – Michigan
Labor union political committee representing hospitality workers
https://unitehere.org/
- End Citizens United Non-Federal
National campaign-finance reform political action committee
https://endcitizensunited.org/
- Conservative Voices
Ideological advocacy political action committee
No Michigan-specific website identified
- Joe Aragona for Majority
Leadership-style political action committee associated with Michigan legislative activity
No public website identified
- Michigan Legacy PAC
Michigan-based political action committee
No public website identified
- CandicePAC
Candidate-named political action committee
No active public website identified
- Advancing for Detroit and MI PAC
Regional advocacy political action committee focused on Detroit and Southeast Michigan
No public website identified
- Michigan Aggregates Association
Industry trade association political action committee
https://www.michiganaggregates.org/
- Chaldean Chamber Political Action Committee
Political arm of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce
https://www.chaldeanchamber.com/
- Michigan Boating Industries Association PAC
Industry association political action committee for Michigan boating businesses
https://www.mibia.org/
- Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 PAC
Labor union political action committee
https://ua333.org/
- Michigan Motorcycle Riders PAC
Issue-based advocacy political action committee
No public website identified
- Michigan Manufactured Housing, RV and Campground Association PAC
Industry association political action committee
https://www.michcampgrounds.com/
- Miller Canfield PAC
Law-firm affiliated political action committee
https://www.millercanfield.com/
- United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club
Labor union political action committee
https://www.ufcw.org/
- Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 85 PAC
Labor union political action committee
https://www.local85.org/
Data Source and Methodology
The committee information listed comes from publicly available campaign finance data published by the Michigan Bureau of Elections. The data was accessed through the state’s campaign finance portal at https://mi-boe.entellitrak.com/.
To generate this list, the Campaigns search was used, the Campaign Type field was set to “Candidate,” and the Office Sought field was set to “State & Judicial” with the Office Name set to “Secretary of State.” All other fields were left blank before running the search. This query returns political committees that have registered campaign activity related to the Michigan Secretary of State race.
The presence of a committee in this list does not indicate that the committee represents a candidate or that a candidate is officially on the ballot.
More Resources
Other Voter Guides
More Articles
Content Disclaimer: Our team researches information from official websites, news outlets, and other public resources to make it easier for Michigan residents to stay informed. We strive to provide accurate, balanced, and up-to-date information, but we may occasionally miss updates or changes. Michigan Women is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and does not support or oppose any political candidate or party. This content is intended solely for civic education and public awareness.