Buttigieg stumps in Holland to boost Gilchrist’s secretary of state bid

HOLLAND — One of the Democratic Party’s most prominent national surrogates is stepping up his campaign appearances across Michigan to boost high-profile Democratic candidates in the final weeks leading up to the November midterm election.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Holland on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at a private fundraiser to support Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who is running for secretary of state.

Gilchrist has said statewide front-line positions must be fortified against President Donald J. Trump and his allies, emphasizing the secretary of state's pivotal role in overseeing Michigan's elections ahead of the 2028 presidential race.

"Walls that stand between people and casting their ballots are walls that need to be broken down," he said.

Gilchrist will face off against Republican nominee Anthony Forlini, who currently serves as the Macomb County Clerk and is a former state representative, in the Nov. 3 general election.

Eric Borregard of the Green Party, Christine Sloan of the Libertarian Party, and Scott Aughney of the U.S. Taxpayers Party also will appear on the ballot.

The Holland visit capped a broader push by Buttigieg across Western Michigan to rally voters before the general election.

Earlier the same day, Buttigieg stumped at a packed campaign rally at First Baptist Church in Kalamazoo in support of Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga in Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District.

Shafina Barnett of the Green Party also will appear on the ballot.

Buttigieg moved from Indiana — he served as South Bend's mayor from 2012 to 2020 — to Michigan in July 2022 to be closer to his husband's family, who are from the Traverse City area.

Buttigieg has been actively stumping for Democratic candidates in key battleground states ahead of the upcoming elections.

In July, he visited Nebraska, stumping in Omaha for Denise Powell bid for the state's Second Congressional District seat. He has also visited North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey and Virginia.

Buttigieg’s messaging has focused on core themes of economic affordability.

"You don't have to be a bleeding-heart liberal or a card-carrying Democrat to believe certain things like the basic idea that one job ought to be enough in the United States of America. It ought to pay enough and have good enough benefits," he said during the Kalamazoo visit.

At the end of the month, he is scheduled to stump for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom in Mississippi.

— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.