Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has ended his independent campaign for Michigan governor, announcing the decision Thursday with a blunt assessment of his political prospects. Behind in both polling and fundraising, Duggan determined continuing was no longer defensible to his supporters.
In a statement posted to his campaign website, Duggan said the math no longer worked. "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," he wrote. He added that he could not in good conscience ask volunteers, faith leaders, unions, elected officials and donors to keep fighting for a campaign he no longer believed could win.
The 18-month independent run represented an unusual political gambit for Duggan, who previously served Detroit as a Democrat. His central pitch was anti-partisan, promising to cut through the dysfunction he said plagued Michigan. But the national environment shifted dramatically against that message.
Duggan pinpointed April as the turning point. Rising gas prices and public anger toward President Donald Trump created what he described as a sudden and severe mood shift across the country. Internal polling showed Democrats surging in every office nationally. A Detroit Regional Chamber survey released just before his announcement made the decline concrete: Duggan had dropped 11 points behind Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the leading Democrat in the race.
The chamber poll of 600 likely general election voters showed Benson at 34 percent, Republican Rep. John James at 29 percent, and Duggan at just 23 percent. Fundraising told a similar story. Duggan trailed Benson substantially in national contributions, a critical metric in competitive statewide races.
Duggan's campaign had drawn considerable party attention, though not in ways the former mayor welcomed. Democrats worried his candidacy would split votes in Detroit, the state's largest city, threatening their nominee in November. State party officials repeatedly attacked him for not making Trump the centerpiece of his message. Duggan, in turn, argued that relentless Trump criticism was itself a political liability, that voters wanted solutions instead of grievance.
In a January NBC News interview, Duggan had somewhat playfully suggested Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel was his unwitting accomplice, noting that Democratic attacks on his campaign actually raised his profile and reinforced his above-the-fray positioning. "The reason the Democratic Party is failing is because that's the only message they have," Duggan said at the time.
The race for governor will proceed without the independent candidate. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot seek re-election due to term limits, opening a rare open seat. Benson has effectively secured the Democratic nomination. Republicans are still battling it out, with James, former state Attorney General Mike Cox, state Sen. Aric Nesbitt and businessman Perry Johnson competing for the nomination ahead of Michigan's Aug. 4 primary.
Benson responded graciously to Duggan's departure, saying she welcomed his ideas and supporters. The Michigan Democratic Party issued a similar statement, thanking the former mayor for his service and inviting his backers to join the broader Democratic effort for November.
The financial toll on Duggan's campaign was substantial. A super PAC supporting him, Put Progress First, had spent over $9.8 million on advertising. Duggan's own campaign spent more than $220,000 on ads this year alone before the plug was pulled.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Duggan bet that Michigan voters were hungry for someone above the partisan fray, but underestimated how much a shifting national environment could sink an independent in a Democratic-leaning state."
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