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With less than six months until the midterm elections, independent candidate Mike Duggan has dropped out of the race.

This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss the factors that led the former Detroit mayor to make his decision and the reactions from both Democrats and Republicans.

Even though Duggan faced an uphill battle running as an independent, the general consensus was that if anyone could win in that position, it would be him. Kasben said the current political climate did not allow for that possibility.

Later in the episode, we discuss earmarks, a way to secure funding for local government projects. Following a decision from the Michigan Court of Claims, what lawmakers consider an earmark could change. Gorchow and Kasben also discuss how the evolution of this type of funding led to current criticisms. Patrick Wright, vice president for legal affairs at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, joins the conversation to help explain the decision.

Wright said the Mackinac Center felt it was the right time to file the lawsuit that led to the Court of Claims decision.

“We thought the grant process was being abused because the voting threshold wasn’t being met,” Wright said. “We looked at the constitutional history and we tried to put a stop to it.”

The Mackinac Center’s challenge focused on two specific grants: one for a minor league baseball stadium in Lansing and another for a baseball stadium in Utica.

• More from WDET:

  MichMash: What are earmarks? A breakdown of the 2026 state budget

  Detroit Evening Report: Mike Duggan drops out of Michigan governor’s race

  MichMash: Why the MEA is withholding its endorsement; Inside Michigan elections

Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced the end of his independent campaign for Michigan governor. Duggan said he aimed to ease “the toxic two-party atmosphere in Lansing that’s holding this state back.”

At a press conference in Detroit, Duggan said the two biggest components of the race that held him back were dropping poll numbers and a lack of funding.

“The truth of the matter is, when you’re down 11 points and you’re down in the fundraising, the path is not realistic,” Duggan said.

Duggan launched his campaign in December 2024, one month after Donald Trump won the state in the presidential election.

Duggan said his plan at the beginning of his campaign was to earn 20% of Republican votes and 20% of Democratic votes. This idea, he said, was based on polls that showed 65% of both Republicans and Democrats in Michigan were open to supporting an independent candidate.

“There is a national clamor for someone who will stand up and say ‘I’m tired of these two parties fighting with each other’,” Duggan said.

According to Duggan, his fundraising team raised “more money than the major party candidates,” and 94% of it came from the state of Michigan. However, he said that national funding for independent candidates is still in its infancy. He believes that person will need to be an independent – and independently wealthy.

“Somebody is going to break through, but I’ll make a prediction. It’s somebody who’s got the wealth to be self-funded,” Duggan said.

Duggan’s advice for the remaining partisan candidates is to make sure their platforms are not based on attacking the other side. Having “something that you stand for positively,” he said, is what will make an impact on voters.

“There are people in this state who want change and are willing to work for it, and I’m hoping you’ll see the Democratic and Republican candidates reach out and embrace those folks,” Duggan said.

Reactions roll in

Duggan was a frequent target of criticism from the Michigan Democratic Party, but Chair Curtis Hertel’s tone was more conciliatory.

“As we look ahead, we welcome Mayor Duggan’s supporters into our growing coalition as we work to elect a Democratic governor this November who will continue to move Michigan forward,” Hertel said.

The Detroit Regional Chamber was one of Duggan’s earliest champions, as well as a source of campaign contributions. The Chamber’s president and CEO Sandy Baruah said the organization is still appreciative of the ex-mayor’s efforts.

“Obviously, I am disappointed that Mike Duggan’s campaign for governor is ending, but we are thankful for his leadership for Michigan and driving a critical conversation about how to move our state forward,” Baruah said.

What comes next for Duggan

Concerning his next steps, Duggan said he planned to spend time with his family before he thinks about endorsing candidates who match his beliefs.

“If there are candidates in this state that take up the message of fixing the schools, fixing affordable housing, getting the jobs of the future by working together, I’m going to be open to endorsing them in the fall campaign,” Duggan said.

Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has dropped out of the race to become Michigan’s next governor.

Duggan wrote in a letter posted to his campaign website that unified anger over the war in Iran and rising gas prices made it difficult to continue his pitch for unified and bipartisan leadership. He also said he was unable to build “serious national fundraising support.”

Duggan entered the race as an independent. A recent poll by the Detroit Regional Chamber showed him polling in third place.

Additional headlines for May 21, 2026

Police commissioner criticizes response to teen takeovers

Teen takeovers are taking place across the country, and one in Detroit ended in the shooting of a 14-year-old boy Sunday.

City officials have responded with stricter curfews and community outreach. But one police commissioner says that approach is not working.

District 3 Police Commissioner Darius Morris is criticizing Mayor Mary Sheffield’s approach to the teen takeovers in downtown Detroit.

After the first teen gathering in April, Sheffield held a news conference with organizers, touting a partnership with the teens to find more appropriate recreational activities.

Morris says when he spoke with organizers of more recent takeovers, he discovered Sheffield’s plan had an unexpected result.

“So I contacted him. I said, ‘Hey, what’s up with what are you doing involved in this? I taught you better than that. Why are you engaged in this?’ And he said, ‘Well, we’re doing it because we’re trying to get exposure and we’re trying to meet the mayor and do a TikTok video like the first group of people did,’” Morris said.

Morris says city officials and police are being forced to do the job parents should be doing, and he wants to see parents take more responsibility for the whereabouts of their children.

Federal judge closes Detroit bankruptcy case

A federal judge has closed Detroit’s bankruptcy case, ending almost 13 years of court supervision.

The ruling comes as the city makes final payments to unsecured creditors totaling about $10 million.

Detroit filed for Chapter 9 protection in 2013. The process allowed the city to shed about $7 billion in debt and restructure another $3 billion.

Mayor Mary Sheffield thanked the city’s financial and legal teams, as well as retirees who went about 10 years without pension payments. The city resumed those payments four years ago.

Traffic pattern changes underway at Belle Isle

Visitors to Belle Isle will notice traffic pattern changes underway.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced traffic pattern changes and a new two-way bike lane on the island. The changes were recommended in the 2025 Belle Isle Park multimodal mobility plan.

Central Avenue will transition to two-way traffic from Picnic Way to Portage Way.

Central Avenue’s scenic route through the flatwoods will flip from eastbound to westbound to help ease traffic congestion near the beach area.

A new dedicated two-way bicycle track will loop around the perimeter of the island, allowing cyclists to circle the entire island without crossing vehicle traffic lanes.

Construction on the changes has already started. The project is expected to be completed by the first week of June.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In a letter to Michigan residents, Former Detroit Mayor has called it quits in his independent run for Governor.

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

Reactions from around Michigan

Michigan Democratic Party Statement

LANSING — In response to Mike Duggan suspending his campaign for governor, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel released the following statement:

“We’re grateful to Mayor Mike Duggan for his service to the city of Detroit and our entire state. While we’ve had disagreements, the Mayor brought crucial ideas to this race and we appreciate his commitment to bringing people together.

“As we look ahead, we welcome Mayor Duggan’s supporters into our growing coalition as we work to elect a Democratic governor this November who will continue to move Michigan forward.”

Jocelyn Benson

“I want to thank Mayor Mike Duggan for what he brought to this race and for his years of service to Detroit. At a time when politics can feel divided and cynical, we need more civility, more listening, and more people willing to work together to move our state forward. I welcome Mayor Duggan’s ideas, his supporters, and everyone who believes Michigan’s future is bigger than division — and that it can be a place where anyone can afford to live, work, and thrive. We may not always agree on everything, but we share a commitment to building a stronger Michigan. And that work continues in this campaign.”