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John, this kid had no idea he’d be working for Microsoft one day.

It was 1991. I was 9 years old, and that right there was my first computer.

I was hooked from the start. The logic, the problem-solving, the chance to build something from nothing – it lit a fire in me. What I didn’t know back then was just how far that passion would take me.

That kid – sitting in front of a screen, teaching himself to code – never imagined he’d go on to work for one of the biggest tech companies in the world.

But as I grew in my career, I wasn’t satisfied creating tools for the future while communities like the one I grew up in were being left in the past.

As a kid from Detroit, I knew how hard families worked just to get by, how systems failed the people who needed them most, and how often talent went unnoticed because of where it came from.

I realized the problems I wanted to solve next were bigger than something you could fix with code.

So, I left the tech world and ran for public office.

And let me tell you: that kid definitely never imagined he would become Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor and the highest-ranking Black elected official in state history.

But there’s still more work to do and the stakes are higher than ever before.

So now, that kid is running for Michigan Governor.

I’m running because I know the difference open doors can make. I’m running because I’ve seen what can happen when government works for the people. I’m running because I believe in a Michigan where everyone has a fair shot.

But Donald Trump and his oligarch administration see it differently.

They’re gutting public education, attacking voting rights, banning books, and putting billionaires over working families at every turn. They want control – not opportunity. Power for the few, not fairness for all.

And after Trump flipped Michigan red last November – this open, blue seat is MAGA’s next target.

We need to raise $12,000 every week to build a strong grassroots campaign that can fight against GOP efforts to buy this seat. Please, if you’re with me: will you split a donation between my campaign and Democratic Values to help us build the infrastructure to win big in 2026?

Thank you so much for your support.

- Garlin