Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Wednesday that he will run for governor of Michigan as an independent, breaking with the Democratic Party.
“I’m not running to be governor for Democrats or Republicans; I’m running to be governor for you,” Duggan, a lifelong Democrat, said in a video advertisement.
The three-term mayor is the first to officially enter what is expected to be a crowded field by 2026, vying to replace Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited to run again.
Duggan, who is the second-longest serving mayor in the city’s history, announced last month that he would not seek a fourth term as mayor, telling the Detroit Free Press At that moment “I felt like I had done what I set out to do.”
Duggan said in the video that, as mayor, he “did not fit comfortably into the dogma of either political party.” He added that “when calls grew to defund the police, it angered some in my own party” by approve increase in overtime pay Detroit police officers in 2022.
“It’s clear to me that there are a lot of people in this country who are tired of both parties and the system,” Duggan said. he told the associated press in an interview. “And that’s why I want to give people a choice.”
Duggan became mayor in 2013, when Detroit was recovering from bankruptcy, and is considered successful in his efforts to restore the city. He won re-election in 2021 with 76 percent of the votes.
“The political fighting and nonsense that once held Detroit back is too often what we’re seeing in Michigan today,” Duggan said in the video, adding, “I’m going to see if I can change that by starting a campaign for governor, by have a conversation about whether it’s time for a completely new approach: a governor who is independent.”