Longtime Democrat Mike Duggan, the mayor of Detroit, shocked the early going of the 2026 race to replace term-limited Governor Gretchen Whitmer by declaring on Wednesday that he would run as an independent for governor of Michigan.
“Neither the Republican nor Democratic parties are running me for governor. In a video he uploaded to announce his campaign, Duggan declared, “I’m running to be your governor.”
Additionally, he mocked what he described as “the political fighting and the nonsense that once held Detroit back,” which he claimed “is what we’re seeing in Michigan today far too often.”
“The current system forces people to choose sides, not find solutions, I want to see if I can change that,” Duggan stated.
According to Duggan’s debut video, “I was always keenly aware my approach didn’t fit comfortably inside the dogma of either of the two political parties.” He cited one specific incident in which he broke with his current party on policy.
He added, “But when the calls mounted to defund the police, I angered some in my own party by giving Detroit police officers a well-deserved $10,000 raise and putting 300 more officers on the street.” He continued by mentioning his support for civil rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ rights.
In what is anticipated to be one of the most widely watched state contests in the country in 2026, he is the first significant candidate—Republican, Democrat, or independent—to enter the run for governor.
Though she is regarded as a possible presidential candidate in 2028, Whitmer, the governor of the battleground state, is now serving her second term and is not able to run for reelection.
Trump won Michigan this year after nearly losing the state in 2020, making it one of the most evenly divided states in recent presidential elections.
With Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow on the list of prospective candidates, the Democratic primary in Michigan is expected to be crowded.
Since last year, when she told Fox2 Detroit, “It is something that I will look closely at with my family,” Benson, who rose to national fame following the 2020 presidential election, has refrained from making any public remarks regarding a possible candidacy.
Buttigieg, who relied on his experience as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to run for president in 2020, dodged a specific question about the Michigan governor’s race by telling the Associated Press in November that he would decide “how to make myself useful” following the presidential election. Buttigieg relocated to the Traverse City region, and his spouse, Chasten Buttigieg, is from Michigan.
Tudor Dixon, the Republican contender for governor in 2022, has not ruled out a 2026 run. In August, he told Fox2 Detroit, “You know what, 26 is always in the back of my mind, but right now we’re focused on 24.”
Members of the state’s congressional delegation, such as Republican Representatives John James and Lisa McClain, are also considered as possible contenders for governor, though neither has made any public declarations of interest in the position.
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