Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025
Independent journalist Dave Bondy was the first local media source to report it last night. We made it known on today's Morning Gazette Radio Show on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio.
I tried first to confirm the report by WLNS TV 6's TIm Skubick. He's a veteran reporter and his story said he had confirmed that Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson would make it official tomorrow that he's running as a Democrat for Governor of Michigan in 2026.
Sheriff Swanson, one of the best in local political circles to quickly return texts, didn't reply to my text last night about the validity of the report by the Lansing TV station. That's why I decided to go with it.
Normally it would be classified as a rumor out of Lansing in my book. Trusting reporters isn't always a good idea because they get it wrong almost as often as they get stories right in today's age of how budget cuts have decimated news rooms.
But Tim Skubick has been around a long time. Probably longer than the 50 years I've been a journalist.
And Sheriff Swanson said it without saying it.
If he didn't reply to my text, yes it was true. So I said so on my radio show.
After my radio show aired, Sheriff Swanson sent an invitation to his "private event" tonight at 5:30 pm. I won't say where it is because maybe he doesn't want any political enemies to crash it.
Many prominent local Republicans who once adored Sheriff Swanson have now abandoned him in mass after he entered the national political scene. He did a commercial for President Joe Biden on national TV during the famous debate that led to Biden's departure from his campaign to be re-elected. Then Sheriff Swanson took the stage on national TV at the Democrat convention to support VP Kamala Harris in her failed bid to beat Donald Trump.
So Republican leaders around here are telling their fellow Republicans he's a bad guy who has gone against their man Donald Trump.
Then there all the people arrested by his Sheriff's Department. Plus all the employees who don't like their boss. Or who don't work there anymore.
Yeah, Sheriff Swanson has enemies.
As Winston Churchill once said: "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
In the last few hours since my radio show and after last night's post on social media by Dave Bondy, I've now read hundreds of comments about Sheriff Swanson. The good and bad? About even.
Those who like him rave about his passion for life. They like how his IGNITE program has helped educate and prepare prisoners to enter the work force to cut down on recidivism, causing the program that start at his county jail to catch on in other communities across our state and across America. They like his GHOST task force that has worked with the likes of national celebrity child predator catcher Chris Hansen to take down dozen of predators around our parts over the last five years since he became Sheriff. He was appointed late in the final term of former long-time Sheriff Robert Pickell, then elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Many supporters of Swanson worried if he could campaign, yet he became one of the most popular people to ever win county-wide office.
Those who don't like him say he's never met a TV camera he doesn't like. They say he's "pretend" with his "passion act" over every subject under the sun. They say his "political act" is fueled by fake passion when he "really doesn't care about anything except promoting Chris Swanson."
One notable comment I spotted on social media was from community activist Art Woodson of Flint. I'd summarize Woodson's DNA as stone cold "never meeting a politician he likes" anywhere. He doesn't trust any of them and says so on his popular Facebook Live videos. He posted praise earlier today, however, for Sheriff Swanson, saying, "If you need help, all you have to do is ask him."
I judge it this way. School officials say he's the same Chris Swanson when dealing with little kids. People tell me they meet him at the grocery store or somewhere in the community, and he's always high on life. He's a guy who is the real deal when it comes to being a motivational speaker. He wears his Christian faith on his sleeve and isn't shy about expressing it. He's passionate about everything he does, including being a five-time Iron Man champion.
He shows up to give pep talks to sports teams heading out for big games on the statewide stage. He reminds them how they represent our community and how so many little kids are looking up to them as role models. Even former national championship football Coach Jim Harbaugh invited Sheriff Swanson to address his troops. His message was so good that I added part of it to the open to my weeknight sports show.
Sheriff Swanson challenged a whole team of soon-to-be national champs to a push-up contest that particular day — same as he once did in Flint at historic Atwood Stadium when he joined a press conference a few years ago by long-time Judge Duncan Beagle to reveal eight prep football teams playing in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic on the turf later that fall.
All the stars of these local high school teams took him up on the challenge. They failed to beat him just like the UM stars would later do.
As the prep players were dropping like flies, he was yelling and shouting at them as he suddenly switched to one-handed push-ups with an occasional spin around in the air to let them know nobody was beating him.
When these candidates for Governor line up, I'm predicting right now he's going to be figuring out how to beat them the same way. He has more personality and passion in his little finger than any of the names so far being mentioned as competitors.
Before they waste any time and money getting serious about running, I'd suggest they sit down for a few minutes to meet Chris Swanson. Unless they are idiots, one conversation should convince them they have absolutely no chance.
I think Swanson has God on his side, too. That's where he says all his passion come from, according to many who tell me they know his Christian, boy scout attitude is the real deal.
If he's consistently showing the same passion everywhere, you can't call it fake.
I like the one comment I read today defending Sheriff Swanson's passionate approach to everything. The one describing him as simply "high on life." As you can see above and you heard on my radio show today, I've adopted it as my own. If it's used enough times, hey, it's mine.
Chris Swanson first came on my radar in 2009 when I heard him speak at a campaign event for Brenda Clack when she was running for mayor in Flint. He was indeed high on life that day, and every day I've ever talked to him since that first time I shook his hand to tell him what a fantastic speaker he was, surprising me by knowing my name because he had "seen me around the Sheriff's office."
I remember later telling then Sheriff Pickell, "This captain guy of yours is destined for bigger things if he ever decides to get into politics. He's a powerful speaker with a powerful message of hope and faith."
Sheriff Pickell said, "If he ever set his mind to it, Chris Swanson has what it takes to become President of the United States."
I thought at the time, this guy is the kinda guy I'd like to see in the White House some day.
Maybe that's next after a stop at the State House.
Swanson has been running for Governor for a while now although he has stopped short of ever making it official. He went from a deputy at age 18, to Captain to Under-Sheriff, to Sheriff at age 47. He's now 51.
Catapulting to the national stage during the most recent Presidential race was done while also appearing in commercials to help fellow Democrat Kristin McDonald-Rivett win a seat in Congress to replace retiring Flint Township Rep. Dan Kildee. He did commercials, too, to support Gretchen Whitmer in her re-election bid for Governor of our state as well as promoting Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in her successful re-election bid in 2022.
All that came after he rose to national prominence with his GHOST team and his IGNITE program, as well as how he first burst onto the national scene in 2020 during the protests and riots by Black Lives Matter after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. He was a black man killed by a white police officer.
When the protests spread to Genesee County, Sheriff Swanson and other officers lined up near the Flint Township Police Department. They were prepared for the kind of trouble like in nearby Detroit where riots broke out in the streets.
Swanson asked protesters what they wanted. One reply was simple. "March with us!"
He then removed his riot gear and asked fellow officers to do the same. "Let's walk," he demanded. It was a scene that was seen on TV screens across the county as they marched alongside demonstrators down Miller Road. Swanson said at the time a different response was planned, but later told national media: “As I was walking up, I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”
By the summer of 2023, Swanson had bought a passenger bus and wrapped it with a big photo of himself and his slogan: "Walk with us!"
He said he was using it to promote IGNITE as he crisscrossed the state to talk at schools and big events.
That obviously led to expectations that he wanted to be Governor in 2026.
At 5:30 pm somewhere today in Genesee County, expect it to become true when he makes an official announcement.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall marks his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
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