Mike Duggan drops governor bid in Michigan election shocker

Story summary

• Mike Duggan ends independent campaign for Michigan governor
• Duggan cited shifting political landscape that appears to benefit Democrats
• The former Detroit mayor left the Democrats party in late 2024, intent on giving voters a third viable option at the top of the ticket

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan (bridgemi.com), a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from Bridge Michigan, sign up for a free Bridge Michigan newsletter here.

By Simon D. Schuster
Bridge Magazine

DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is ending his bid for governor, his campaign said Thursday in a stunning announcement. 

In a message to supporters, Duggan said the political landscape appears to have shifted considerably toward Democrats, making his independent campaign less viable.

“I got into this race to try to change our politics, not to be a spoiler,” Duggan wrote. “I’m still hopeful our campaign will prove to have a real long-term impact.”

Duggan had pitched his campaign as a rejection of traditional partisan politics that had, in his casting, snared state government in gridlock and acrimony. 

“For the last 18 months I’ve worked every day to try to change Michigan’s toxic party politics,” Duggan said in a statement. “... We knew the independent route was filled with challenges.”

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Despite early optimistic polling and a slew of local union endorsements, Duggan saw his support slump in recent weeks as support began to coalesce around partisan choices. 

A recent poll sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce — which had endorsed him — showed Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson with an 11 percentage point lead on him in a hypothetical three-way matchup with Republican John James.

Duggan attributed the challenges he faced in part to the national political climate, noting “intense anger over gas prices and Iran was boosting Democrats.”

As a candidate without party affiliation, Duggan was also up against the already established statewide infrastructure of two major parties, and had no straightforward way to raise the funds necessary for a winning campaign operation. 

An affiliated nonprofit account called Put Progress First had plastered the state outside Metro Detroit with billboards touting Duggan. But that did not appear enough to break longstanding partisan affiliations among the electorate.

“If we were even in the polls and behind in fundraising, we have a path to winning,” Duggan said in his statement. “If we were behind in the polls and even in fundraising, we have a path. But we’re behind in both.

“As generous as our Michigan donors have been, we will be strongly outspent by the national Republican and Democratic parties this fall.”

Duggan had stunned Democrats after the 2024 presidential election by announcing he would leave the party he had spent decades representing.

Read Duggan's full message below:

Dear Friends,

I am so disappointed to have to write you this letter.

For the last 18 months I’ve worked every day to try to change Michigan’s toxic party politics.  I’ve been supported by hundreds of volunteers who believe deeply that years of constant Democratic-Republican conflict in Lansing have led to our schools declining, our housing costs rising, and our young people moving out of Michigan in record numbers.

We knew the Independent route was filled with challenge. Even against those odds, the excitement for real change carried this campaign upward for more than a year.  In every one of the 5-10 town halls a week I was holding across Michigan, we hosted Democrat, Republican, and Independent neighbors all mixed together in lively and positive discussions.  It was a remarkable experience.

But by April, the mood of the country had shifted suddenly and dramatically.  Democrats (and many Independents) were unified in anger as Trump’s war in Iran dragged on and gas prices rose above $5 a gallon.  On May 5, the Democratic State Senate candidate in Saginaw won 60% of the vote in a seat Republicans thought would be very competitive.

Against the Democratic headwinds, we worked twice as hard.  We continued to pile up huge numbers of union endorsements, once the unions learned that Michigan election law allowed voters to vote both straight ticket Democrat and also vote Duggan as an Independent.  

But for the public in general, our internal polling showed the intense anger over gas prices and Iran was boosting Democrats in every office nationally.  The Chamber poll last week showing we’d fallen 11 points behind the Democratic candidate reflects that reality.

Being down 11 points in May wouldn’t discourage me – I’ve been down worse than that in the past.  But this time it’s compounded by our inability to build serious national fundraising support.  Michigan donors have been extraordinarily generous in supporting this campaign – 94% of my donors come from Michigan.  We raised more instate than any other candidate.  

But Governor’s campaigns are today funded overwhelmingly from well-established networks of national party money, which is why I’ve been all across America meeting with national groups to try to build a competitive fundraising network for Independents. There is much interest, but we’ve finally concluded the national fundraising for these groups is too much in its infancy to be of great help to our race in 2026.  As generous as our Michigan donors have been, we will be strongly outspent by the national Republican and Democratic parties this fall.

If we were even in the polls and behind in fundraising, we have a path to winning.  If we were behind in the polls and even in fundraising, we have a path. But we’re behind in both.  It’s just not right to ask our volunteers, faith leaders, unions, elected officials and donors to continue in a campaign that, in my heart, I no longer feel good about our chances to win.

I got into this race to try to change our politics, not to be a spoiler.  I’m still hopeful our campaign will prove to have a real long-term impact.  23% support in the last poll means more than 1.6 million Michigan voters are today looking for a Governor candidate serious about reducing the toxic partisan politics.  If the candidates on the ballot this year take that message to heart and truly reach out to those voters, we will have accomplished something important.

I will never be able to express the gratitude I feel for all your support and encouragement.  I wish I could have done better for you.

Mike

— This article first appeared on Bridge Michigan and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.