Sheriff Chris Swanson discusses 2026 Michigan gubernatorial campaign

Michigan's gubernatorial primary election day is Aug. 4, and Democrats will choose between Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

As part of CBS News Detroit's 2026 election coverage, we invited Sheriff Swanson to sit down with Terrance Friday, CBS News Detroit anchor. 

Terrance Friday: What went into the decision for you to join this race? You've spent most of your career in law enforcement.

Chris Swanson: Well, law enforcement, I've been faculty at the University of Michigan in Flint for 28 years, and public education, public health, a business owner. When people run for governor, you have to have a big resume that is something that people can see, that if you can do it here, then going to the next position makes sense, and some of the biggest counties in the state — Macomb and Wayne County — both county executives were both former sheriffs.

TF: Yeah, and I'd imagine that public safety would be one of the primary spots that you want to focus on. Can you talk about that and possibly the other things you want to look into?

CS: You know, public safety, we talk about people have to feel that they're protected, that their mosque, and synagogues, and churches — you know, we come from Genesee County, where the LDS church was attacked last September. People want to know that families are safe, so public safety is one of many, so is education, environment and economy.

TF: We know that the state can flip at any time; of course, there have been a lot of hot-button issues, especially when it comes to just the state of politics as a whole. Not even just in Michigan, but just in the country. How do you plan to bring people together? Of course, it's something that we've seen that you have history with, like in 2020, after the incident with George Floyd.

CS: Well, it's about tapping into those communities, just like you know, the mayor of Dearborn, you know, I have great relationships with so many people in Dearborn. I was just there at a mosque earlier today for prayer, and endorsed by the American Muslim Political Action Committee.  When somebody like me goes to those communities and walks together — when we did this during the George Floyd protests, and we walked together, you don't need to figure everything out, you just need to walk together.

And so part of that unity message is unity doesn't mean uniformity; it's about listening to people, understanding perspective, and then saying, 'Hey, let's work this out together.' That's what this not only country needs; it's certainly what the state needs. We don't have it — people are looking for something that is unique and different, and if you look at the elections across the country, polls and money and name ID are not winning elections; it's the ones who are working the hardest, that people can relate to, that are winning.

TF: Can we talk about your stance on reproductive rights? That's something that your campaign got a little scrutiny about earlier. Can you clarify where you stand on that?

CS: Well, I've spent my whole life on protecting people's rights, and when it comes to women in Michigan, and I've been clear on this the whole time that reproductive freedom is body autonomy for all of us. And I certainly will not only uphold the law, but protect it. And I don't want the government making decisions about my body and about yours, so that's something that everybody can certainly count on.

TF: Aside from your background in law enforcement, what sets you apart from some of the other candidates in the race?

CS: Well, my energy, my enthusiasm, and I bring hope, and aside from that, a background that has been battle-tested. You know, when you come from Flint — a big county, water crisis, riots, people that are broken, people that are in pain — and we were able to take these systems like education in the jail through I.G.N.I.T.E, and really just reform how it's been done wrong since 1836. 

If you look at the things that I've done, and the places I've gone, these have been scaled out statewide, nationwide and global. And so when these things happen, you know exactly what you're going to get as a governor, someone who's not here to see what the next step is. I have no plan B. This is what I'm doing. I've done it for 18 months, we've got 16 days left, and the enthusiasm that we see throughout the state — I've driven 95,000 miles, 1,600 events, never say no to an interview, and that's what people want.

TF: There's so many issues that people are just plagued with right now, especially when it comes to affordability; it's just uncertainty about the future. What do you say to people who do have a concern that your background is so primarily on law enforcement in terms of how you can help with all those other things as well?

CS: Well, nobody running for governor has a background to be the governor. I mean, even Secretary Benson works in the DMV, but what does that have anything to do with governing, all those things you just talked about? Even Republicans — everybody brings something unique. I bring something that, as a sheriff, that is the emergency manager, that, as I said, from a big county, the role of governance starts with leadership. And everything rises and falls on leadership, and the word that you use that stands out is there is such an uncertainty, so as far as the Democratic party, we need to pick somebody who's not only going to win the primary, but win the general, and bring some order back. Bring some, going back to that — that they can order out of chaos — we don't have that now, and so me being in the role that I'm in for 34 years, that is the best background for the time that we're in right now. You have issues with ICE, you have these issues with people being stopped and frisked, you have the Black community that is uncertain, the Arab community that's uncertain, the Jewish community is uncertain. If there's ever a time to have a sheriff in Lansing, now is that time.

TF: And if you don't move forward in this race, what are your plans just in terms of serving the people and just for your career?

CS: Yeah, I mean, I, as I said before, I don't have a Plan B. I wouldn't do this another day if I couldn't win, and I'm predicting a six- to eight-point primary victory, and then a double digit November win because I can pull Republicans back, I can pull people that Mike Duggan was trying to get into the independent space, as with the democratic base, so I'm poised at this point with the work that's being done, that there's not enough runway for any of that to be undone cause the work has already been there, and I see the internal polls that we've done. I've seen the work that's been done, people are resonating, and it's going to be a great six months to go.

TF: Okay, it's going to be a busy time for you.

CS: Thank you.

TF: Thank you for stopping by.

CS: Appreciate you.