Leverkusen's hopes of a 2nd consecutive Bundesliga title fade with draw at St. Pauli

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen's hopes of a second consecutive Bundesliga title faded with a 1-1 draw at St. Pauli on Sunday.

Patrik Schick put Leverkusen ahead in the first half but Carlo Boukhalfa equalized in the 78th to leave the defending champion eight points behind Bayern Munich with four rounds remaining.

Bayern, which beat Heidenheim 4-0 on Saturday, could clinch the title on Saturday if it beats Mainz and Leverkusen loses to Augsberg.

Last season, Leverkusen completed an unprecedented unbeaten Bundesliga season for its first Germany league title — and also went unbeaten to lift the German Cup.

Borussia Dortmund beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-2 in Dortmund’s first game since its Champions League elimination.

Dortmund scored three goals in the space of nine minutes to turn the game around just before halftime.

Fresh off scoring a hat trick against Barcelona on Tuesday, Serhou Guirassy leveled the score in the 41st off Pascal Gross’ cross following Ko Itakura's opener for Moenchengladbach.

Felix Nmecha made it 2-1 off a cross from Yan Couto soon after. Daniel Svensson added a third in the fifth minute of first-half added time with a looping header on the rebound when a Guirassy shot was saved.

Kevin Stoger pulled one back for Moenchengladbach with a second-half penalty.

On-loan Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka played a prominent role in the buildup to all three of Dortmund's goals after missing the Barcelona loss with injury.

A last-second clearance from Cédric Zesiger rescued a point for Augsburg in a 0-0 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt that set back both teams' efforts to qualify for European competition next season.

Frankfurt's Ansgar Knauff seemed certain to score after dribbling past defender Zesiger and goalkeeper Finn Dahmen but Zesiger sprinted back and slid to block Knauff's shot in front of an unguarded net.

Augsburg nearly took the win in the final minutes but Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp reacted quickly to push Phillip Tietz's shot around the post.

Frankfurt stays third but has won just four of 12 Bundesliga games since forward Omar Marmoush left for Manchester City in January as teams behind have gained ground. Augsburg is 10th and in a midtable battle for the lower European places.

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Dortmund's Daniel Svensson celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday April 20, 2025. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, right, Pascal Gross, left, and Ramy Bensebaini after the Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday April 20, 2025. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Eric Smith challenged by Leverkusen's Exequiel Palacios, left, and Patrik Schick during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg, Germany, Sunday April 20, 2025. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

Leverkusen's Patrik Schick, center, celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg, Germany, Sunday April 20, 2025. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Carlo Boukhalfa, center, celebrates scoring with teammates during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg, Germany, Sunday April 20, 2025. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Connor Metcalfe, right, and Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg, Germany, Sunday April 20, 2025. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike, left, and Augsburg's Chrislain Matsima challenge for the ball during the between FC Augsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt at the WWK Arena in Augsburg, Germany, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Jan-Philipp Strobel/dpa via AP)

Augsburg's Cedric Zesiger, left, and Frankfurt's Michy Batshuayi challenge for the ball during the between FC Augsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt at the WWK Arena in Augsburg, Germany, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Jan-Philipp Strobel/dpa via AP)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for governor and instead joining the race for secretary of state of the battleground state.

Gilchrist, a progressive Democrat from Detroit, did not cite a specific reason for the change in his video announcement, but said he is not finished being a “public servant.” His departure clears up the Democratic primary and benefits the frontrunner, Jocelyn Benson, who is the current Secretary of State, in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The secretary of state is Michigan's top election official, a highly politicized and visible role since the 2020 presidential election.

“Michigan has been ground zero in the battle for free and fair elections before, and it will be again,” Gilchrist said.

As Whitmer’s second in command and her running mate in two elections, Gilchrist struggled to match Benson’s name recognition and fundraising. He reported having around $378,000 of cash on hand as of October compared to Benson’s $2.98 million.

Benson is now set to face only Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary in August.

The inclusion of a well-known independent candidate has created a new problem for Democrats this year. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is avoiding costly primaries altogether by running as an independent. The Michigan Democratic Party slammed the former Democrat last week for not standing up to President Donald Trump’s second term policies.

In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Leader Aaric Nesbitt and former Michigan House speaker Tom Leonard are jockeying for the nomination.

In his bid to become secretary of state, Gilchrist will face four other Democrats: Barb Byrum, Ingham County clerk; Aghogho Edevbie, deputy secretary of state; Suzanna Shkreli, a former Whitmer aide and commissioner of the Michigan State Lottery; and Adam Hollier, a former state senator from Detroit.

Michigan does not hold primary elections for the secretary of state position; the nominee is chosen by precinct delegates during party conventions. The Michigan Democratic Party convention is scheduled for April 19.

State Republicans plan to hold their nominating convention March 28 and GOP figures chasing the party's nomination for secretary of state include Anthony Forlini, Macomb County Clerk, and Monica Yatooma, an Oakland County executive.

In addition to the office of the governor and secretary of state, Michigan voters will be selecting a new state attorney general and a U.S. senator in November.

FILE - Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II waits before the State of the State address, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, file)