Michigan's lieutenant governor gave voters a rousing call to political action just ahead of Detroit's second Democratic debate, emphasizing his state's importance in next year's election.

"To all of the political pundits who said that Michigan was a red state: We proved them wrong in 2018, and we are going to prove them wrong again in 2020," Garlin Gilchrist told the crowd in Detroit's Fox Theater.

Gilchrist, 36, took career politicians to task with his Wednesday speech, telling the debate audience that many in power have fallen out of touch with everyday Americans' realities.

"It is impossible to be a strong advocate for public schools when you merely view education as a money-making venture," Gilchrist said. "It is impossible to protect our right to healthcare when you are suing to kick 20 million people off of their plans, including people that have pre-existing conditions."

A Detroit native, Gilchrist went to Farmington High School and graduated from the University of Michigan, moving back to Michigan later in his career after stints as a software engineer with Microsoft and a social media manager with Barack Obama's campaign.

More: Who is Garlin Gilchrist?

Before becoming Gretchen Whitmer's lieutenant governor, Gilchrist also worked for the city of Detroit as director of Innovation & Emerging Technology, and as executive director of the Center for Social Media Responsibility at the University of Michigan.

Gilchrist's rousing speech got multiple rounds of applause from his audience but also stirred viewers outside of Michigan.

The lieutenant governor's speech ended with a call for viewers to "demand real leadership and real solutions" and engage with the debate's ideas, even if they don't agree with all of them.

"What we can all agree on is that these ideas are about moving our country forward ... let this be our generation's call to action, in Michigan and across the United States," Gilchrist said. "The future of our society and our planet is too important for anyone to sit on the sidelines."

More on freep.com:

Michigan's status as Midwest state suddenly called into question

Late-night TV's best jokes about Tuesday's Democratic debate in Detroit