LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Less than 24 hours after he announced his bid to be the next governor of Michigan, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson hit the ground running with media interviews in Flint, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing – a place he hopes to call home in less than two years.
“I’m bringing pure energy to Michigan,” Swanson says. “It’s a play on ‘Pure Michigan,’ because if there’s a superpower that I have, it’s that I am non-stop.”
Swanson made his announcement Thursday night at Mott Community College in Flint, 17 months before early voting begins. He says he will use every minute of those 17 months trying to convince the people of Michigan he should be their next governor.
“I was born a leader and I can inspire people,” he tells News 10.
Swanson has led the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office for the past six years and has gained state-wide recognition for his successful Genesee County Human Oppression Strike Team, which fights against human trafficking.
“It is known as G.H.O.S.T., and it is the national standard set right here in Genesee County,” he said at his announcement Thursday.
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In 2020, Swanson made national headlines when he marched with protestors in Flint just days after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
“Where do you want to walk?” he asked protestors. “We’ll walk all night.”
He says bringing people together will be at the core of his campaign.
“Unity, to bring people together to find common ground,” he says. “Even if you’re a little different, our diversity is our strength.”
Swanson says one of his campaign strengths as a Democratic candidate is his ability to sway Republican voters.
“For the last two elections, 2020 and 2024, I got the largest Republican crossover vote – 30 points,” he says.
He is now hoping that crossover appeal on a statewide level will help him bring his ‘protect and serve’ philosophy to the capital city,
“(To) rebrand Lansing as a place to go for help,” he tells News 10. “Whether it’s building a business or getting an answer.”
Swanson says he’s ready to take on the field of high-profile opponents, confidently proclaiming he will not be outworked.
“A lot of people wonder if this is always my energy level and the answer is yes,” he says. “I look at it as a five-time Iron Man triathlete: I don’t quit, I don’t give up, I have no off button, and I’m working as everything depends on it because, in the state of Michigan, it does.”
Swanson joins a growing list of candidates hoping to win next year, including Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Republican State Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, and Detroit mayor Mike Duggan who is running as an Independent.
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