Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, announced Wednesday that he is launching an independent campaign for governor of Michigan, shaking up the early stages of the race to succeed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2026.
“I don’t want to be the governor of the Democrats or the Republicans. I would like to be your governor,” Duggan said in a video he posted to announce his campaign.
He also mocked what he called “the political fighting and nonsense that once held Detroit back,” which he said is “too often what we see in Michigan today.”
“The current system forces people to take sides and not find solutions. I want to see if I can change that,” Duggan added.
In his launch video, Duggan pointed to a specific instance where he broke with his current party on policy, telling viewers: “I was always acutely aware that my approach did not fit easily within the dogma of either the two political parties.”
He then cited his support for civil rights, reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights, adding, “But as calls to defund the police mounted, I angered some in my own party by calling Detroit police officers a to give a well-deserved $10,000 raise and raise $300. more cops on the streets.”
He is the first major candidate — Republican, Democrat or independent — to launch a campaign for governor in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched state races in the country in 2026.
Whitmer, the current governor of the battleground state, is serving her second term and is not eligible for re-election, although she is widely considered a potential presidential candidate in 2028.
Michigan was one of the most divided states in the recent national elections, with Trump winning the state this year after narrowly losing it in 2020.
Michigan’s Democratic primaries appear to be heating up, with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Mallory McMorrow all topping the list of potential candidates.
Benson, who rose to national prominence in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, has not publicly commented on a potential run since last year, when she told Fox2 Detroit, “It’s something I’ll be looking at closely with my family.”
Buttigieg, who ran for president in 2020 leaning on his work as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, told the Associated Press in November that he would decide after the presidential election “how to make myself useful,” setting out a specific dodged question about the Michigan crisis. governor race. Buttigieg moved to the Traverse City area, and Michigan is the home state of his husband, Chasten Buttigieg.
On the Republican side, 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon has not ruled out another run in 2026. He told Fox2 Detroit in August: “You know what, 26 has always been in the back of my mind, but now we’re focused on 24.”
Others among those mentioned as potential candidates for governor include members of the state’s congressional delegation such as Republican Party Reps. John James and Lisa McClain, although neither has publicly expressed interest in running .
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
