Advertisement

BREAKING: Mike Duggan drops out of Michigan governor race

Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan suddenly ended his independent campaign for governor in Michigan on Thursday.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is interviewed, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has ended his independent gubernatorial campaign in Michigan. Duggan made the announcement in a statement on Thursday, citing the surge of support for Democrats amidst President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

“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,” Duggan wrote. “The Chamber poll last week showing we’d fallen 11 points behind the Democratic candidate reflects that reality.”

Advertisement

The surprising news comes just three days after Duggan and Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson appeared in a gubernatorial forum hosted by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. On Wednesday, Heartland Signal reported on a comment Duggan made last September, where he said his “friends dropped $100 million” to help Republicans flip the Michigan House of Representatives in 2024. Duggan’s campaign told Heartland Signal that the comment was a joke.

In a statement, Benson thanked Duggan for what he brought to the race.

Radio Free America — our free weekly newsletter on the fights, deals, and decisions that rarely make national headlines.

Catch the statehouse stories that affect your life

This piece will be updated

Heartland Signal encourages news organizations and content creators to use our content. You're welcome to republish this article for free as long as you follow our republishing guidelines.

Advertisement
Author

Rich Eberwein is a multimedia journalist for Heartland Signal. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois before joining Heartland Signal in 2022. In addition to politics, Rich writes about baseball and entertainment for Fansided. Read Richard’s reporting

Listen Now
The Thom Hartmann Program