GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a gubernatorial race where most candidates stick to talk of roads, budgets, and familiar political buzzwords, Chris Swanson, Genesee County’s longtime sheriff, is running hard in a different lane: animal protection.
Swanson, 53, who announced his bid for governor in February 2025, has made animal abuse prevention a central plank of his public safety platform. And this isn’t a feel-good side project. He’s framing it as a core accountability issue tied directly to community safety.
A sheriff with a soft spot – and a hard line.
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During his time as sheriff, Swanson has investigated and publicly highlighted some of Michigan’s most disturbing animal cruelty cases. His message has been consistent and blunt in his quest to protect both animals and Michiganders.
“You can’t beat a dog to death and then go and try to adopt one at animal control,” Swanson said in 2023 while pushing for a statewide animal abuse registry modeled loosely after the sex offender registry. The proposal would be free and publicly accessible to animal shelters, control agencies, rescue groups, breeders, pet shops, and pet owners doing background checks.
Pets stuck in legal limbo while clock ticks.
Swanson is also critical of how long abused and neglected animals are often left sitting in animal shelters while cases crawl through the court system. In those situations, he argues, the animal continues to suffer while legal timelines drag on, even when forfeiture, fostering, or adoption could be a better outcome.
His proposal, known as Protect MI Pet, didn’t gain traction at the time as a ballot initiative or through the legislature but Swanson says it’s far from dead. He wants to revive it if he becomes governor. The initiative would require convicted abusers to forfeit the right to own pets for a mandatory period of time, place offenders on a publicly accessible animal abuse registry, and redefine pets as living property so their welfare and best interests are formally considered.
“Something has to be done…the accountability part is what’s missing,” Swanson said.
Not just about animals – it’s about public safety.
Swanson links animal abuse to broader patterns of violence, pointing to what he describes as a well- documented connection between cruelty and harm to people.
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In an interview with Michigan News Source, Swanson said, “Most people don’t see that there’s a direct connect between animal abuse, torture, neglect, child abuse, elder abuse, and domestic abuse…so if you don’t address it (animal abuse) then it’s a matter of time before people start becoming victims in a greater sense.”
That perspective has shaped how his sheriff’s office operates. Swanson has a dedicated investigator handling animal cruelty cases through his detective bureau and has spoken publicly about complex investigations in his county, including “crush” videos and other heartbreaking cases.
Redefining animals under the law.
One of Swanson’s more ambitious proposals with Protect MI Pet would change how animals are defined in Michigan law. Currently, animals are treated as property, similar to furniture or vehicles. Swanson wants them reclassified as “living property,” allowing courts to consider an animal’s best interest during legal proceedings.
”That is one of the first priorities I’m going to do as governor, especially when it comes to animal protection, is to rekindle that (Protect MI Pet) and get that across the finish line,” Swanson said.
An old law that needs an overhaul.
Swanson also said he would also consider revisiting Michigan’s antiquated 1919 dog law, legislation that prioritizes livestock over domestic pets. Arguing that century-old statutes no longer reflect modern realities, he said, “I think we should revisit something that was written, you know, over a hundred years ago,” he said, adding that laws should evolve to meet modern standards.
A bipartisan pitch.
Swanson insists animal welfare isn’t a partisan issue – and says he won’t treat it like one. He told Michigan News Source, “As governor, I’m going to work with the legislature, whether they be Republican or Democrat, doesn’t matter, and say, ‘let’s do this right out of the gate, get it done the first 90 days’” he said about his Protect MI Pet initiative.
Helping animal rescuers.
In a campaign video on Instagram, Swanson also expanded on his message on helping pets saying, “Animal rescuers and fosters open their homes, their hearts, and often their own wallets to care for animals who have been neglected or abused. They do this on their own time, with little recognition, because it’s the right thing to do.”
He goes on to say, “As Governor, I’ll support the people doing this work and make sure they have the resources they need to protect animals and keep them safe. And let me be clear, if you abuse animals, you will be held accountable.”
From Grand Blanc to the governor’s race.
Swanson, a Democratic candidate, grew up in Grand Blanc in a working class family, attended Mott Community College and the University of Michigan, and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration. His campaign website shows that over three decades, he’s worked as a police officer, paramedic, business owner, and professor. He was elected sheriff in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, overseeing Michigan’s fifth-largest sheriff’s office.
Swanson’s path to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination narrowed last week after Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist left the race to pursue the Secretary of State nomination. The contest now effectively centers on Swanson and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the perceived frontrunner. Marni Sawicki, a former Florida mayor, is also running. The winner of Democratic primary in August will run against the Republican nominee in November. John James, the United States Representative for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, is currently the frontrunner for the GOP.
A values argument, not a side issue.
In a video message shared on social media, Swanson framed his animal-protection push as a statement of broader values, tying it directly to public safety and accountability. “How we treat the most vulnerable says everything about who we are,” he said – a line that captures the case he’s making to Michigan voters: protecting animals isn’t a sentimental sidebar, but a way to interrupt cycles of violence before they escalate. In Swanson’s telling, safeguarding pets and safeguarding people aren’t separate goals – they’re part of the same public-safety equation.
