A West Michigan state lawmaker is in the running to be the Republican nominee for governor. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt R-Porter Township, said he’s getting into the race early in the hopes of building statewide name recognition.

Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt announced early Tuesday morning he is running for governor. Nesbitt was elected to serve as a state senator in 2018. He currently serves Michigan’s 20th Senate District, which represents portions of Berrien, Van Buren, Allegan and Kent counties.

Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R) launched his gubernatorial bid on Tuesday, becoming the first Republican to jump into the race ahead of the 2026 midterms. “Michiganders deserve so much better than what they’re getting from these Democrats up in Lansing,

LANSING — State Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt is running for governor. Nesbitt is the first well-known Republican to enter the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who will be term-limited in 2026. He announced his campaign in a video posted on social media Tuesday.

The Van Buren County politician became the first prominent Republican or Democratic candidate to make public their 2026 campaign for governor.

Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt said as governor he'll support "taxpayers over the woke left," empower parents and stand with President-elect Donald Trump.