Detroit's mayor, a longtime Democrat, to run for Michigan governor in 2026 as Independent

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, says he will run for Michigan governor as an Independent in 2026.

"It's clear to me that there are a lot of people in this country who are tired of both parties and tired of the system," Duggan said in an interview Tuesday. "And so I want to offer people a choice."

Duggan, 66, is credited by many for leading Detroit after it emerged from bankruptcy to become a thriving, more vibrant city. He formally announced his intentions in a video released Wednesday morning but discussed his future before that with The Associated Press. 

He hopes to succeed popular Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited under Michigan law.

The mayor's decision comes in the midst of a reckoning for Democrats in Michigan, one of a handful of swing states that helped propel former President Donald Trump to victory in November. 

The Democratic Party, which only two years previously had claimed a majority in both houses of the Legislature for the first time in decades, suffered setbacks at the ballot box that left state Democrats scrambling for explanations and a path forward.

Still, few would have anticipated the mayor of the state's largest city and biggest Democratic stronghold abandoning his party altogether. 

Duggan said he felt he could govern more effectively as an Independent.

"You have a (state) legislature that's almost evenly divided that makes the stakes of each issue become magnified," he said. "It has gotten harder and harder to address things as the partisan climate has gotten more toxic."

Duggan also could be looking to avoid what is shaping up as a crowded Democratic primary field. Among the potential contenders are Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist III and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who relocated to Michigan in 2022, has also sparked speculation about a potential Democratic gubernatorial bid. When asked by the AP on Nov. 3 about a potential candidacy, Buttigieg left the door open.

On the Republican side, prospective candidates include Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former state Attorney General Mike Cox, former state Rep. Tom Leonard and U.S. Rep. John James. Tudor Dixon, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2022, is also considering another run.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement that the potential Democratic primary field for governor is "incredibly strong" and that the party looks forward to ensuring it holds onto the office. Gov. Whitmer's office declined to comment Wednesday.

"This changes the dynamic of the campaigns for governor," said Adolph Mongo, a Detroit-based political commentator and former political consultant. "There have been rumblings from folks that we need a third party, a real one.

"This is a gutsy move. This is a good move," Mongo continued. "It hurts the Democratic Party. There's no question that he is going to take a ton of Democrats with him. It's also going to free up those moderate Republican who are not buying MAGA."

Democrat Mark Bernstein, a regent at the University of Michigan, also says running as an Independent will allow Duggan "to lead free from partisan entanglements that have paralyzed Lansing for a long time."

"Voters do not care about political parties. They care about results and Mayor Duggan gets results," Bernstein said.

"I do believe that many voters, like me, feel homeless, right now," Bernstein continued. "Many Republicans feel estranged from the Republican Party and many Democrats feel alienated by the Democratic Party."

Republican and former Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said on X that Duggan checks the boxes of being a "credible, Independent candidate with the ability to raise money."

"But there are huge advantages of having a political party behind you," Calley wrote. "And being a target of the left and the right will be intense. 2026 is already very interesting."

A Duggan run as an Independent, while it further fractures a state Democratic Party still reeling from Trump's win in November, could win over voters looking outside the party for answers.

There is precedent. Then U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona made the move in 2022 to Independent. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin did the same last spring. Several states have elected Independent governors since 1990, Duggan noted, including Angus King in Maine, now a U.S. senator.

But an Independent has never served as Michigan governor and third-party candidates typically don't fare well in elections for the state's top seat. Libertarian Party candidate Mary Buzuma received a scant 0.9 per cent of the vote in 2022.

"If you think the two-party system is serving you well, you can vote for your Republican or Democratic candidate," Duggan said. "But if you think the only way we can really change the quality of life in Michigan is a different way, I'm going to give people the alternative, an Independent who is going to go to Lansing and work with responsible leadership in both parties."

Last month, Duggan announced the coming year would be his last as Detroit's mayor. His current term ends in January 2026. Duggan said he then plans to "go to communities across the state that have been forgotten and sit in neighborhood restaurants and farmhouses and city centres and listen to people."

Duggan spent about eight years as chief executive of the Detroit Medical Center. He served three years as Wayne County prosecutor and 14 years as deputy county executive.

He was the top vote-getter in Detroit's 2013 mayoral primary despite running a write-in campaign due to a ballot challenge. Duggan, who is white, was elected in November 2013 to lead mostly Black Detroit which that summer was taken into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history by a state-appointed manager.

Long-term debt of $18 billion or more and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual budget deficits left Detroit broke and nearly broken. Crime was high and neighborhood blight was rampant. Unemployment and poverty rates were among the nation's highest.

Taking office in January 2014, Duggan ran the city but initially had no control over spending. By that December, Detroit had emerged from bankruptcy with about $7 billion in debt erased or restructured.

Over the past decade, Detroit routinely has had balanced city budgets and surpluses. Violent crime is down and neighbourhoods mostly are cleaner. Detroit's population even increased slightly in 2023. It was the first uptick since the 1950s, when 1.8 million people called the city home.