Snow, wind and cold weather didn’t deter Suzanna Shkreli from visiting the Upper Peninsula on her secretary of state campaign tour Thursday. Making the trip to Houghton last night to meet with residents during a potluck dinner.
Shkreli brings government experience running a state department to her campaign. She worked as a prosecutor for over a decade, focused on child abuse cases in Macomb County. During the past four years, she has held various positions within the Whitmer administration, most recently serving as commissioner of the state lottery.
“Our entire charge was to maximize revenue to support the school aid fund that benefits every child across our state,” Shkreli said. “It’s a pretty large operation. And the secretary of the state office is even larger. But I’m the only candidate in this race that has state executive leadership experience leading a state agency.”
She noted Governor Whitmer has called her a “fixer” who gets results. “Governor Whitmer has jokingly called me, her ‘Wolf from Pulp Fiction’, because I’m a fixer and I get the job done. I’ve taken on unique tasks in her administration…“, she said. Shkreli also served as the state’s first-ever director of juvenile justice reform after her appointment in 2023 at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
During her travels, Shkreli said she has spoken with county and municipal clerks statewide. She plans to continue meeting residents where they are, offering to stop on the road to listen to residents’ concerns on elections and office functions to make up for having to shorten her tour of the region.
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat, and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a Republican candidate, might have the largest name recognition for the race. But the field vying for secretary of state party nominations is quite large. Shkreli is one of five Democrats and nine total candidates seeking Michigan’s secretary of state office.
