By Anna Rossow
Gongwer News Service
EAST LANSING – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said he’s taking a different approach to his gubernatorial campaign than other candidates, and the majority of Michigan voters are willing to consider an independent candidate.
Duggan headlined the Lansing Economic Club kickoff event as he continues to campaign for the 2026 gubernatorial race, where he is running as an independent. Duggan vowed not to vilify other candidates, a tactic he said has been commonly used in past elections.
“I’m going to run a campaign where I’m not going to demonize anybody,” he said. “I’m going to tell the people in Michigan what I plan to do, and the people will make a choice, whether they want to change or whether they’re happy with the way things are going.”
He said he has never seen the anger between the two parties at the level it is right now.
“Every year, Gallup does a poll that says to all Americans, you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent,” he said. “Last year, Republican, 27 percent, declining. Democrat, 27 percent, declining. Independent, 43 percent and growing. And what’s happened is, the Republicans and Democrats understand this, when you’re starting in the base of 27, the fastest way to get to 51 percent is demonize the other guy.”
In a Detroit Regional Chamber survey, 41.4 percent of voters said they are “very open” to considering an independent candidate and 22.1 percent are “somewhat open.” Strong Republican voters and strong Democratic voters were the least likely to consider an independent candidate.
Independent voters were the most likely to consider an independent candidate with 57 percent saying they would be “very open.” More than 50 percent of independent voters surveyed reported being dissatisfied in May 2024 and January 2025.
Toxic partisanship was the greatest dissatisfaction among all voters.
Duggan said there have only been five states to elect an independent governor since 1990, and that he overcame the odds in his past to earn positions.
“There hadn’t been a white candidate for mayor in 50 years in Detroit. If I listen to people tell me what couldn’t be done, I wouldn’t have run,” he said.
He said each case of independent governors being elected, it happened because of the Republican Party moving too far right and the Democratic Party moving too far left, causing candidates to run independently.
“In 2013 when I declared for mayor in an 83 percent Black city, and I said, ‘I’m sitting with folks in their living room, and I’m telling you, the African American community is going to embrace the best candidate,’ everybody told me, I don’t care what the polls say, it’s not really going to happen,” he said. “And it’s the same thing here. People haven’t seen an independent before, and so they’re skeptical.”
Duggan said he “couldn’t care less” who would run against him in November 2026.
However, he called Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson a serious candidate who is “not a slouch,” and he would make the race more interesting than people think. Swanson is a newly announced candidate for the Democratic nomination (see separate story).
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the other Democrat running. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) has declared on the Republican side.
“I’m going to talk to people from now through November 2026 on how we pull together, deal with the declining school performance, dealing with the young people leaving the state,” Duggan said. “Whoever the Democratic, Republican nominees are, I’ll debate them when the time comes. But my campaign isn’t going to be telling you why the Republicans and Democrats are awful, my campaign is going to be why Michigan would be better if we pull together.”
Duggan outlined his victories as Detroit mayor, saying he built momentum early by lighting the streets, a task he took on when half of Detroit’s streetlamps were dim and completed in three years.
“When I came in, we had only eight operating ambulances. It was an hour when you called 911,” he said. “I had to do really boring things. I had to buy new equipment. I had to demand they do preventive maintenance and I had to demand they were staffed. We did that, and I got all the firefighters to agree to get cross trained as medical first responders. And today, at seven minutes, 30 seconds, we have one of the lowest emergency response rates.”
There were 47,000 vacant houses when Duggan entered office. He said he demolished 29,000 of them, making room for factories and auto assembly plants, attracting jobs to Detroit and reducing the unemployment rate.
In 2023, Detroit’s population grew for the first time in 67 years.
However, he said Michigan is the leader in people under 30 moving out of state and has been for the past two years, calling young people Michigan’s largest export.
Duggan said young people want better long-term opportunities and a better living environment than what Michigan currently offers.
Gongwer News Service
EAST LANSING – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said he’s taking a different approach to his gubernatorial campaign than other candidates, and the majority of Michigan voters are willing to consider an independent candidate.
Duggan headlined the Lansing Economic Club kickoff event as he continues to campaign for the 2026 gubernatorial race, where he is running as an independent. Duggan vowed not to vilify other candidates, a tactic he said has been commonly used in past elections.
“I’m going to run a campaign where I’m not going to demonize anybody,” he said. “I’m going to tell the people in Michigan what I plan to do, and the people will make a choice, whether they want to change or whether they’re happy with the way things are going.”
He said he has never seen the anger between the two parties at the level it is right now.
“Every year, Gallup does a poll that says to all Americans, you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent,” he said. “Last year, Republican, 27 percent, declining. Democrat, 27 percent, declining. Independent, 43 percent and growing. And what’s happened is, the Republicans and Democrats understand this, when you’re starting in the base of 27, the fastest way to get to 51 percent is demonize the other guy.”
In a Detroit Regional Chamber survey, 41.4 percent of voters said they are “very open” to considering an independent candidate and 22.1 percent are “somewhat open.” Strong Republican voters and strong Democratic voters were the least likely to consider an independent candidate.
Independent voters were the most likely to consider an independent candidate with 57 percent saying they would be “very open.” More than 50 percent of independent voters surveyed reported being dissatisfied in May 2024 and January 2025.
Toxic partisanship was the greatest dissatisfaction among all voters.
Duggan said there have only been five states to elect an independent governor since 1990, and that he overcame the odds in his past to earn positions.
“There hadn’t been a white candidate for mayor in 50 years in Detroit. If I listen to people tell me what couldn’t be done, I wouldn’t have run,” he said.
He said each case of independent governors being elected, it happened because of the Republican Party moving too far right and the Democratic Party moving too far left, causing candidates to run independently.
“In 2013 when I declared for mayor in an 83 percent Black city, and I said, ‘I’m sitting with folks in their living room, and I’m telling you, the African American community is going to embrace the best candidate,’ everybody told me, I don’t care what the polls say, it’s not really going to happen,” he said. “And it’s the same thing here. People haven’t seen an independent before, and so they’re skeptical.”
Duggan said he “couldn’t care less” who would run against him in November 2026.
However, he called Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson a serious candidate who is “not a slouch,” and he would make the race more interesting than people think. Swanson is a newly announced candidate for the Democratic nomination (see separate story).
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the other Democrat running. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) has declared on the Republican side.
“I’m going to talk to people from now through November 2026 on how we pull together, deal with the declining school performance, dealing with the young people leaving the state,” Duggan said. “Whoever the Democratic, Republican nominees are, I’ll debate them when the time comes. But my campaign isn’t going to be telling you why the Republicans and Democrats are awful, my campaign is going to be why Michigan would be better if we pull together.”
Duggan outlined his victories as Detroit mayor, saying he built momentum early by lighting the streets, a task he took on when half of Detroit’s streetlamps were dim and completed in three years.
“When I came in, we had only eight operating ambulances. It was an hour when you called 911,” he said. “I had to do really boring things. I had to buy new equipment. I had to demand they do preventive maintenance and I had to demand they were staffed. We did that, and I got all the firefighters to agree to get cross trained as medical first responders. And today, at seven minutes, 30 seconds, we have one of the lowest emergency response rates.”
There were 47,000 vacant houses when Duggan entered office. He said he demolished 29,000 of them, making room for factories and auto assembly plants, attracting jobs to Detroit and reducing the unemployment rate.
In 2023, Detroit’s population grew for the first time in 67 years.
However, he said Michigan is the leader in people under 30 moving out of state and has been for the past two years, calling young people Michigan’s largest export.
Duggan said young people want better long-term opportunities and a better living environment than what Michigan currently offers.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
