James Craig, a former Detroit Police Chief, on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

(3/28: This article has been updated to include comment from Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awed the world with his leadership in the face of Russia’s invasion of his country. Michigan gubernatorial candidate James Craig sees his own leadership during the 2020 civil rights protests as an equal comparison. 

First reported by Craig Mauger of The Detroit News, Craig sent a fundraising email on Monday that opened with an acknowledgment of Russia’s “illegal invasion of Ukraine,” and lauded “President Zelensky [sic] leading from the front.” 

After asking for a $50 donation, Craig said Zelenskyy’s leadership reminded him “the summer of 2020 when I was on the ground walking hand in hand with the community and my fellow police officers, ensuing the fires and riots we saw in so many other cities didn’t infect Detroit and spread throughout Michigan.” 

Craig said his “’lead from the front’ attitude” is what sets him apart in the race for Michigan governor.   

In the email, Craig rehashed his comments from earlier this month, when he appeared on “Tucker Carlson Today” to stump for his campaign.  

During the interview, Carlson asked why — despite being “an overwhelmingly Black city” — Detroit didn’t have “huge riots.” 

Craig noted his work in bringing activist groups to the table with the Detroit police, before veering off into an account of the protest days themselves. 

“I was on the ground, made the decision that we would use gas. I had a gas mask on.” Craig said it almost reminded him of scenes of President Zelenskyy “leading from the front, out front, all tac’d up.”  

Craig said, “That’s what it takes. I was out there in front protesters saw me. my police officers saw me. We got it done.” 

Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite said in a statement that Craig stooped to a new low “by fundraising off a tragic and unprovoked war waged by Putin that has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced millions of Ukranians.”

It is “not only shameful, but entirely inaccurate” for Craig to compare his actions, including tear-gassing members of his own community, against “President Zelenskyy standing up against war crimes being committed by Putin,” Applewhaite said.

It’s not the first time Craig has leveraged a foreign tragedy to push his campaign. 

Last August, as the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, 13 US servicemembers were killed in a suicide attack on the Kabul Airport.  

The same day, Craig’s campaign took out a paid advertisement on Facebook, enjoining people to offer prayers for the United States and those killed and injured in the bombing, and ensuring Craig’s campaign would continue to reach a wider audience.  

Follow Zach Cunning on Twitter @zcheartlandsig