DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, says he will run for Michigan governor as an independent in 2026.
“I realize there are a lot of people in this country who are tired of both parties and the system,” Duggan said in an interview Tuesday. “And that’s why I want to give people a choice.”
Duggan, 66, is credited by many with leading Detroit into a blossoming, more dynamic city after bankruptcy. He officially announced his intentions in a video released Wednesday morning, but previously discussed his future with The Associated Press. He hopes to succeed popular Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose term is restricted under Michigan law.
The mayor’s decision comes amid a reckoning by Democrats in Michigan, one of the few swing states that helped former President Donald Trump win in November. The Democratic Party, which just two years earlier had won a majority in both chambers 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 expected the mayor of the state’s largest city and largest Democratic stronghold to abandon his party entirely.
Duggan said he feels he can govern more effectively as an independent.
“You have a (state) legislature that is almost evenly divided, which causes the stakes of each issue to become greater,” he said. “It has become increasingly difficult to address things as the partisan climate has become increasingly toxic.”
Duggan could also try to avoid what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic primary field. Potential candidates include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist III and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who moved to Michigan in 2022, has also sparked speculation about a possible Democratic candidacy for governor. When asked by the AP on November 3 about a possible candidacy, Buttigieg left the door open.
Potential candidates on the Republican side include Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Attorney General Mike Cox, former state Rep. Tom Leonard and U.S. Rep. John James. Tudor Dixon, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2022, is also considering another run.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman 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 she retains the office. Gov. Whitmer’s office declined to comment Wednesday.
“This changes the dynamics of campaigns for governor,” said Adolph Mongo, a Detroit-based political commentator and former political consultant. “There were rumors that we needed a third party, a real one.”
“This is a brave move. That’s a good move,” Mongo continued. “It’s hurting the Democratic Party. There’s no question he’ll take a lot of Democrats with him. It will also liberate those moderate Republicans who don’t buy MAGA.”
Democrat Mark Bernstein, a regent at the University of Michigan, also says running as an independent will allow Duggan to lead “free from the partisan entanglements that have long paralyzed Lansing.”
“Voters don’t care about political parties. They value results and Mayor Duggan gets results,” Bernstein said.
“I think a lot of voters like me are feeling homeless right now,” Bernstein continued. “Many Republicans feel alienated from the Republican Party and many Democrats feel alienated from the Democratic Party.”
Republican and former Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley called it quits
“But there are enormous benefits to having a political party behind you,” Calley wrote. “And being a target of the left and the right is going to be hard. 2026 is already very interesting.”
If Duggan were to run as an independent, it could further divide the state’s Democratic Party, still reeling from Trump’s victory in November, but could attract voters looking outside the party for answers.
There is a precedent. The then US Senator Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona took the step towards independence in 2022. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin did the same thing last spring. Several states have elected independent governors since 1990, Duggan noted, including Maine’s Angus King, now a U.S. senator.
But an independent has never held the office of 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 just under 0.9% of the vote in 2022.
“If you believe the two-party system serves you well, you can vote for your Republican or Democratic candidate,” Duggan said. “But if you believe that the only way to truly transform the quality of life in Michigan is another path, I will offer people the alternative, an independent who will go to Lansing and work with responsible leadership in both parties.” “
Last month, Duggan announced that next year would be his final year as mayor of Detroit. His current term ends in January 2026. Duggan said he then plans to “go to forgotten communities across the state, sit in local restaurants, farmhouses and town centers and listen to people.”
Duggan was CEO of Detroit Medical Center for about eight years. He served three years as a Wayne County prosecutor and 14 years as a deputy county executive.
He was the top vote-getter in the 2013 Detroit mayoral primary, although he ran a write-in campaign due to an election challenge. Duggan, a white man, was elected in November 2013 to lead predominantly black Detroit, which over the summer was embroiled in the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history by a state-appointed manager.
Long-term debts of at least $18 billion and annual budget deficits in the hundreds of millions of dollars left Detroit nearly bankrupt. Crime was high and plague was rampant in the neighborhood. Unemployment and poverty rates were among the highest in the country.
Duggan took office in January 2014 and led the city, but initially had no control over spending. By December, Detroit had emerged from bankruptcy and had paid off or restructured about $7 billion in debt.
Over the past decade, Detroit has regularly had balanced city budgets and surpluses. Violent crime is down and neighborhoods are mostly cleaner. In 2023, Detroit’s population actually increased slightly. It was the first escalate since the 1950s, when 1.8 million people called the city home.
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Associated Press reporter Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this story.
