- Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist says he and his family experienced a “credible bomb threat” which police were able to clear
- The threat came one day after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus event in Utah
- Gilchrist, a Detroit Democrat and 2026 gubernatorial candidate, thanked law enforcement while condemning political violence
LANSING — Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and his family are safe following a “credible bomb threat” to their home, he said late Thursday.
Gilchrist, a Detroit Democrat and 2026 candidate for governor, thanked law enforcement for clearing the threat earlier in the day, noting it came “in the midst of an escalating pattern of political violence in Michigan and America.”
“We cannot tolerate political violence,” Gilchrist said in a statement. “We cannot excuse it. We cannot normalize it. We have to push through this and do the work to do better. It’s not easy, but nothing important ever is.”
No further details were immediately available. A spokesperson for the Detroit Police Department deferred comment to the Michigan State Police, which did not immediately respond.
Gilchrist lives in Detroit with his wife and three children.
The bomb threat came one day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a college campus event in Utah, prompting widespread calls to curb political violence that Michigan officials reiterated Thursday.
“The purpose of this violence is to silence, intimidate, and eliminate people and their voices from society,” Gilchrist said. “That won’t work on me. We cannot let this remain our reality.”
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — who in 2020 was the subject of a failed kidnapping plot by extremists who hoped to ignite a civil war — condemned the threat against Gilchrist in a personal statement on social media.
“I’m grateful that Lt. Governor Gilchrist and his family are safe after the bomb threat at his home today,” Whitmer wrote. “Let me be clear – political violence is unacceptable and has no place in Michigan. As Michiganders, we must reject all political violence and work towards a safer future.”
Kirk, who served as chief executive and co-founder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, made frequent appearances on college campuses and in other settings, engaging in political dialogue with students in public settings.
His assassination has prompted reflections across the state and nation about the bitter political partisanship that has divided the country.
Michigan Republicans plan to memorialize Kirk with a Monday rally on the steps of the state Capitol in Lansing.
They’ll gather to “celebrate his phenomenal achievements, to grieve together and to commit to carrying forward the mission he championed so fiercely,” state Sen. Jim Runestad, who chairs the Michigan GOP, said in a statement.
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