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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.”

Severe storms raced through metro Detroit Tuesday, bringing strong winds, heavy rains and even hail.  Streets throughout Detroit were left with large puddles, causing drivers to avoid them. Wind gusts knocked down trees and broke limbs in some places.  

The canopy of a gas station on Detroit’s west side was knocked over by the winds, forcing its closure.  The Mobil station at Plymouth and Hubbell remains out of operation today. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Mary Waters disqualified 

Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters announced last month that she was running for Congress in Michigan’s 13^th District.  She made the announcement just before the filing deadline.  But Waters has now been disqualified from running for failing to gather sufficient petition signatures.   

Waters tried to run for the job in 2024, but came in second to incumbent Shri Thanedar in that year’s Democratic primary.  She was re-elected to Detroit City Council last year.  

Congressman Thanedar is running against State Representative Donovan McKinney in this year’s August primary election. 

Mackinac Policy Conference preview 

Politicians, industry leaders and philanthropists are making last-minute preparations for the Mackinac Policy Conference.  They’ll travel to Mackinac Island next week to network, discuss policy and learn from one another.  

The annual event is held by the Detroit Regional Chamber.  Speakers will include Governor Gretchen Whitmer, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Professor Cornel West.  There will also be a debate between the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate.  

You can hear coverage of the Mackinac Policy Conference on WDET beginning Tuesday, May 26. 

Gas prices drop slightly, but still hurt 

Metro Detroit gas prices have fallen slightly in the past few days, but are still nearly two dollars per gallon higher than they were at the beginning of this year.  The average price for a gallon of self-serve unleaded in the area is now $4.74.  That’s down eight cents from a week ago.  

Motorists planning to head out on the road for the Memorial Day holiday weekend should still plan for prices that remain near $5 per gallon.  AAA says Michigan is one of the 10 most expensive states when it comes to gas right now. 

NAACP calls for sports boycott 

The NAACP is calling on college athletes to boycott southern schools in response to a Supreme Court decision impacting the Voting Rights Act.  NBC News reports the civil rights organization launched the “Out of Bounds” campaign this week. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently that using race to create two majority Black Congressional districts in Louisiana was unconstitutional.  

The NAACP is asking Black recruits to withhold their commitments to attend certain colleges, most of which are in the NCAA’s Southeastern Conference.  The boycott could have a financial effect via national sports television deals, ticket sales and alumni gifts. 

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

Partisanship isn’t just a Washington problem. 

This year, Michigan’s Legislature has been one of the slowest in recent memory as only a few bills passed since January. This is happening as costs keep climbing and families keep stretching. Life is getting really expensive and people want their leaders to take action.

With state Senator Erika Geiss, who is overseeing parts of Detroit and Downriver, unable to run for re-election, two Democrats are now vying to fix the problem of rising costs.

One of them is former state House representative Abraham Aiyash. He spoke about his campaign and his plans with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Editor’s note: this conversation discussed the possibility of data centers recycling water. Water sprayed or circulated in evaporative cooling systems can be recycled at data centers. But the recycling process requires significant on-site treatment to manage high concentrations of salts and other contaminants.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

More stories from The Metro

Michigan Secretary of State Joceyln Benson says she’ll maintain a firewall between herself and elections officials overseeing this year’s race to become the next governor.

Some view the Democrat as her party’s heir apparent to term-limited Gretchen Whitmer.

But Benson says her bid for governor stems from a very personal place.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Jocelyn Benson: I’m a mom of a nine-year-old little boy. And in 10 years he’s going to be deciding what he’s going to do with his life. I want Michigan to be the best place in the country for him or anyone else to choose to call home, to build a career, to build a family. So it is personal for me. I want to make sure Michigan is leading in every metric possible so that it truly is the best place in the nation to be a kid and to raise a kid and to retire. But in a lot of ways, we’re not that right now.

I think there’s a lot of reasons why. But it’s clear to me that the next governor of this state needs to be prepared on day one to streamline how government works. Drive down costs on everything from healthcare to housing to our energy costs. Build our economy so that we’re diversifying and creating more well-paying jobs. And be prepared to work with the federal government when required to accomplish those goals, but also be ready to stand up to even the president of the United States if he would try to interfere with our rights, freedoms, security, safety, privacy, or our democracy.

I’ve done all those things as secretary of state and I’m ready to do it as the next governor.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: You mentioned a few there, but in terms of the issues facing people in Michigan, what do you see as the most vital right now?

JB: Without a doubt, the fact that the cost of everything is going up while our wages are stagnant. It’s heartbreaking. I’m hearing stories all across the state. A mom in Muskegon who is struggling to cover health care costs for her family and choosing to go without health care for herself so that she could cover it for her kids. Impossible choices. Seniors in Flint who told me they have to literally decide in a given month whether to eat or pay for their medicine. One small business owner in Saginaw told me he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his doors open because of these chaotic tariffs that are causing him to potentially lose his inventory. That’s while rising energy costs from month to month make it hard for him to just pay to keep the lights on. So, it’s clear the anxiety, the challenges that so many Michiganders are facing right now, given that these rising costs are just out of control.

But we also need to grow our economy. About 60% of jobs in the state pay $60,000 or less. That’s impossible to sustain in an economy like this one. So we have to invest in the growth of new, well-paying jobs, diversify our economy and invest in clean energy, clean tech as well. Those are the jobs of tomorrow that can help us ensure that my kid and every one of our loved ones in this state can build their career here and get a well-paying job while being able to afford to live in the communities they want to live in, pay their bills and thrive.

QK: If you were elected, what could you do from the executive level as governor to actually address some of those issues?

JB: A lot of it I’ve done as secretary of state. I’m the CEO of one of our state’s largest agencies. And I’ve been able to transform it to ensure we’re cutting wasteful spending, while also reinvesting in our employees and our operations. We’ve eliminated wait times, we’ve made it easy and affordable to renew your license, renew your plates. If all of state government worked that well, it would be a lot easier and more cost effective to build homes, making them more affordable. We can reform our Department of Health and Human Services to streamline how people get access to the benefits they’re already entitled to, in a way that reduces costs and enables us to reduce premiums as well. We can ensure we’re reforming our economic development corporation and our agencies that focus on economic growth to invest in new and emerging economies as well as small business growth.

I’d like to make Michigan the small business capital of the nation. That requires it to be as easy as possible to start and grow your business. And a lot of that is just making government more efficient, while also sitting down with regional economic hubs to grow what’s working in Muskegon, what’s working in other parts of the state. So that when we see other local governments reducing costs in an effective way, we’re amplifying that work and expanding it statewide.

But it all starts and ends with a well-run state government, agencies that are actually showing up when you need it, getting out of the way when you don’t. Saving people time, saving people money. And a lot of that is tied up in public education as well. I say this also as a mom, I want to make sure we are partnering with our local governments to invest and turn around the defunding of schools that has really made it difficult for many teachers, educators and others to meet our needs. Take our schools from being at the bottom of far too many rankings to being at the top.

QK: You mentioned earlier about “standing up” to President Trump. Gov. Whitmer had a contentious relationship with him when the pandemic erupted. But then she also worked with him on issues like preventing invasive carp from getting into the Great Lakes. And it seemed to get some traction, where people like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker did not from his contentious relationship with Trump. If you were elected, how do you see balancing working with the Trump administration and the president in particular?

JB: I’ll always work with anyone if it helps us drive down costs for Michiganders, take on polluters or other bad actors that are driving up costs. I’ll work with anyone who will help us create well-paying jobs in our state. I’ve been proud to do that as secretary of state, particularly when it comes to working with a Republican legislature, to get things done.

But I’ve also been very clear about standing unafraid up to anyone, whether they be wealthy or powerful, the most powerful person in the United States, if they try to interfere with the safety, the rights, the freedoms, the votes of our citizens. At the end of the day, my job is to stand up for the Michiganders who I will be elected to represent. And fight for their freedom, fight for their safety, fight for an economy that ensures everyone can thrive. And that does mean being willing to and ready to effectively stand up to anyone who would try to get in the way of that, enact tariffs that would drive up costs or potentially interfere with our elections.

QK: As secretary of state, you’re running in an election that you’re tasked with overseeing. Some of your opponents have complained it’s not fair that you can “referee your own game.” What’s your reaction to those kinds of comments?

JB: First, I agree we need to make sure we have very clear firewalls and delineations between partisan officials and election administrators. And we actually do have that in Michigan. Our elections are run at the local level by 1,500 clerks and 83 county clerks, and then we have our non-partisan Bureau of Elections. But in addition to that, I think it’s important to note that candidates who have come before me, not just in Michigan but in many other states, have also run for office while serving as secretary of state. So what I’m doing is no different. But what I am doing differently this time is making sure we are building that firewall so we are acting in a way that’s transparent, leading with integrity and actually becoming a model for how to ensure state’s chief election officers are continuing to run for office, if that presents itself, while ensuring the integrity of elections and operations.

QK: You’re running in a gubernatorial election now that’s a little bit different than ones in the past. You have someone who could be a viable independent candidate, the former mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan, who was a well-known Democrat for a long, long time until recently. There are some political pundits that say they worry that’s going to hurt the Benson campaign, that Duggan would pull Democrat votes away from you. Do you have concerns about that?

JB: I’m not a pundit so I can’t really prognosticate on all those pieces. But what I can say is I do think the choice that’s going to be facing voters this fall, what they need to be looking at as they elect the next governor of the state, is the question of who does the governor actually work for? Do you work for the people? Do you work for corporate interests? Do you work for Donald Trump? Because I want every citizen in Michigan to know, no matter what side of the political aisle they may be on, that I work for them, that I will stand up for them. Then when I’m faced with a choice, the voices in my head, the focus of my heart will be “what do the people of Michigan need? Not my highest corporate funder, not the president of the United States. What do the people of Michigan need from me?

An important state senate race for Michigan’s 35th Senate District was decided Tuesday, and it could have huge implications for the November midterm elections. This week on WDET’s weekly series, MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what how the race was decided. They are joined by Alvin “AJ” Jones from WCMU Public Radio to break it all down.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode

• What were the campaign strategies for Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney?
• Why did it take so long to call this special election?
• What could this race signal for the 2026 midterm elections?

Jones also pointed to the focus on the race being a reason why Greene won this special election. “The two candidates had very different strategies. Tunny’s campaign really hammered in local issues—talking about reading levels and tax cuts. Greene’s focused on national issues of affordability.” 

Both Greene and Tunney will face off again in the 2026 November midterm elections. 

More from WDET

• MichMash: The 2026-27 fiscal year budget process is outpacing last year
• The Metro: Trust in elections is declining. A Michigan Republican clerk blames politics
• 4 living ex-Michigan governors make case for civility in politics

There’s an unusual twist in this year’s race to become Michigan’s next governor.

Longtime Democrat and former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan is running for the state’s top job as an independent.

Duggan says taking the long view of what Detroit needs in the future helped turn his eyes to Lansing.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Mike Duggan: I was born in Detroit and the city I grew up in was spectacular. You could get a good-paying job in the auto plants, the neighborhoods were beautiful, the shopping was great. And in the course of my life, everything that we knew was taken away from us. The auto plants moved out, the stores moved out, the banks moved out, the movie theaters moved out. I ran for mayor because I felt like the federal government, the state government and other people had turned their back on Detroit for too many years. And I felt like if we pulled together, we could change the trajectory. And you saw what happened, with all of the factories that came back, the rebuilding of the riverfront, the violence going way down. When the population numbers came in last year and we grew by 7,000 people and led the state of Michigan in population growth, I felt like I’d done what I had set out to do. So really the next question was, do I go back to the private sector or do I try something else in the public sector?

Quinn, you know the biggest problem in Detroit is the public school system. And when we had 7,000 people move back, we weren’t having families with school-aged children. And I think (Superintendent) Dr. Vitti and the school board are doing a good job with the resources they’ve got. But the state has not supported public education. And 60% of all the children in Michigan, not just Detroit, do not read at third grade level. You’re stealing the futures of these children by the time they’re nine and 10 years old if they can’t read. That’s certainly critical.

There is nowhere you go in the state where people are not stressed by the cost of housing. Young people are being forced out of the state because they can’t afford their first home, whether it’s an apartment or a house. There’s no easy way to say this, but the jobs of the future are going to Ohio and Indiana. Our biggest export is no longer our cars, it’s our young people. People said you can’t solve the affordable housing problem. In Detroit, we built 6,000 units. And I understand how we did it. We didn’t do it with a lot of state help. But if you both reduce the cost and put in some subsidy, the problem is solvable, as we’ve proven.

Quinn Klinefelter: When you do go around the state, is what you’ve done in Detroit translating to people outside the metro area? Do they say, “What’s some Detroit guy doing, coming in here trying to tell us what to do?”

MD: It’s so interesting. I’m spending a lot of time on farms. I’ll have 25 farmers who’ll say, “What does the mayor of Detroit know about us? We’ve been ignored. We’ve been forgotten. Our costs for our fertilizer is going up. We don’t have access to markets. Nobody in Lansing cares about us. What does the mayor of Detroit know about us?” I said, “Gee, let me see. What does the mayor of Detroit know about representing people who feel like they’ve been ignored and forgotten? I’d like to take you back to Detroit and introduce you to a mom who is raising two kids on a block with four abandoned houses, no streetlights, parks completely overgrown with grass. The ambulances and police didn’t show up. I didn’t make excuses. We went to work and solved the problem. Let’s talk about your problem.”

And you should see their shoulders actually relax. They think, “Maybe we have a lot more in common with Detroit than we ever thought.” I’m talking to farmers who can’t get permits from EGLE to build a new irrigation system because they don’t have inspectors. And I tell them about the housing projects that got delayed because EGLE couldn’t get inspectors to it. Before long, it turns out there’s a lot more in common in this state than we think.

QK: I know it’s all politics, but you were really a standard bearer for the Democrats for a long time. Now you’re running as an independent. You’re technically the political enemy. They’re running billboards that you’re spreading contaminated dirt all over the city. What’s it been like for you facing that after being for so long a face of that party?

MD: You said it right. They treat me like I’m the enemy. And I think that’s why people are so angry at the two parties. You look at the polling nationally and Gallup says this year 27% of Americans consider themselves a Democrat, an all-time low. And 27% Republican, an all-time low. And 45% independent, an all-time high. It’s because the two parties don’t tell you what they’re going to do, they’re just so toxic tearing each other down. And the Democrats have done me enormous good. Because as soon as I announced I was an independent, they didn’t say he has a bad record on crime or housing or jobs. They say he’s corrupt, he’s MAGA, he’s poison dirt, he’s whatever. It’s all this same stuff. And I’m just saying to people if you think the two parties are working for you, you’re gonna have a Republican and Democratic candidate. But if you think this state is heading in the wrong direction, I’m gonna give you a third choice.

QK: The political pundits will always say that an independent doesn’t have any chance, you’re just gonna waste your vote if you go for them. What’s your response to those kinds of comments?

MD: Yeah, those were the same political pundits that said in 2013 a white guy can’t get elected mayor in an 83% black city. You know how many times I heard that? But it’s different when you sit down with people and talk to them about their situations and how we solve them. I’m doing seven, eight town halls a week all over the state, just the same way I campaigned for mayor. And the people who are showing up, we’re not doing stuff where you rail on Trump, you rail on Whitmer, you talk about the evil folks on the other side. These folks want to talk about what’s going on with the data centers and why aren’t we being protected so that we know if they’re coming here that our rates won’t go up and that our water won’t be damaged. We’re talking through solutions. And it’s Republicans and Democrats sitting in rooms together.

Quinn, this is the most fun thing. We’re in a primary time where the Republicans are going to the Republican clubs. They’re going to the Muskegon Republican club or the Grand Rapids Republican club. The Democrats are going to the Democratic clubs, they’re at the Westland Democratic club or the Alpena Democratic club. I don’t have any clubs. So I’m having open town halls in community centers and restaurants and churches across the state where Republicans and Democrats both come and listen. And they invariably take my petition forms, head out the door and say, “I want to have a third choice.”

This is the thing I found out. No matter where you go in the state, people are fed up with the two parties. It was pretty interesting, last August 200 elected officials endorsed me at a big event at the Michigan Central train station, about 100 Democrats and 100 Republicans. And the Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, was so angry he announced he was punishing the hundred Democrats who stood up with me, shutting off their access to voter lists. You have advantages and disadvantages, but I’m not spending time whining about it. I’m gonna go get far more than the number of signatures needed to get on the ballot. I have to put in 30,000 signatures by July 15th. We’re doing well, we’re gonna make the signature threshold. There’s no doubt about it, the parties have stacked the rules against an independent, which is why you don’t see them. But I’ve dealt with odds before.

In November, voters will choose a new governor.

On the Republican side, the race is shaping up around Congressman John James and businessman Perry Johnson, who’s spending heavily out of his own pocket. 

Last week, one of their competitors became the first to drop out: former House Speaker Tom Leonard. He was running what most observers considered the most substantive policy campaign in the field.

As Speaker of the House, he ended Michigan’s driver responsibility fees, he worked with former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on auto insurance reform, and he pushed to expand Michigan’s open records law to the governor’s office.

He says he left the governor’s race because it had gotten too negative — that he wasn’t willing to compromise who he was to win. It’s a striking claim. It’s also one worth examining. Leonard spoke about all that and more with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

Perceived failures by the Trump Administration regarding affordability and immigration enforcement—plus the ongoing war with Iran—has led to very low approval ratings for the president. Yet, approval ratings for the Democratic Party are somehow still worse.

The Michigan Democratic Party recently held its nominating convention in Detroit and it wasn’t without controversy.

WDET’s Russ McNamara recently caught up with Party Chair Curtis Hertel, who took over leadership following the disastrous 2024 campaign cycle. He says he’s excited by most of what he saw at the convention.  

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Curtis Hertel: I think some of the best moments were people cheering for their candidates, and the energy in the room was, was really great. You know, some of the booing that happened and other things you know, were not my favorite part, and certainly are things that violate our code of conduct and everything else. But I think if you look at it as a whole, we walk out of convention with the united slate of candidates that I think are poised to win in November.

You have Eli Savit, who has a record of being a prosecutor… and was an environmental lawyer taking on corporations. And when you think about what’s the most important thing for the attorney general’s office, it’s a People’s Lawyer.

The powerful, the rich, the corporations—they all have access to lawyers. What we need is people that can actually fight for the people of Michigan, the People’s Lawyer, like Frank Kelly and Dana Nessel—

Russ McNamara, WDET: I wanted to ask you about that booing real quick. Where does that come from?

CH: There’s always going to be people who disagree. You know, we’re a big tent, and it’s important that there’s a place in the party for people that have differing views. I think we can differ respectfully. I think that’s the way it should be.

I think that Republicans behave in a way where they eat their own. We shouldn’t be doing that but, but I don’t think it’s the the few hundred people that were at convention that were doing that we’re not the representative of the 7,250 people who were there who were cheering the people on. And I think we’re united. So, you know, I understand it’s interesting to focus on things where but, but I think it was a small part of it was the noise, not the frequency of what actually happened at convention.

Primaries vs. conventions

RM: There’s been talk by some at the convention about changing to primaries and away from convention endorsements. Is that something you can get behind?

CH: So I’ve always supported that. When I was in the Michigan legislature, I supported that. Primaries are good. Discussions are good. We want people to be able to be part of the choices. A primary would be a better system, but you have to change the Michigan Constitution to do that. I don’t think it’s happening tomorrow.

RM: Why do you think there’s the push right now to get it done? Because there weren’t whispers of this eight years ago…

CH: I can’t speak for those that are talking about it now. I mean, you you might want to have them on the show, but, but I will say that I I’ve always supported the exact same position that more people should be involved in the decision making process and any decisions. I think the more people that you allow in your decision making process, the better that is, because they feel connected to it.

Right now, (Republican candidates) are in a game of ‘who can stand with Donald Trump the most’. Trump is the most unpopular president in the history of this country, who has raised the health care cost on everybody and cut taxes for billionaires that has used a war of choice and tariffs of choice to actually increase the cost for every single American.

I paid $4.20 for gas this morning in East Lansing, before I drove here. They promised people that tax that their lives would be better, that there would be America First, so they’d be sick of winning, that the cost of groceries would go down, that the cost of gas would go down, that they wouldn’t be focused on foreign wars, all of that’s going to lie and whether it’s the Epstein files that they haven’t released, or the foreign wars of choice that they continue to go into, or the focus on billionaires and their bottom line instead of the American people’s, they have lied to the people of Michigan, and I think we got a good story to tell.

How can Democrats work for working people?

RM: Affordability is set to be the big story for the midterm elections, but if Democrats win, what happens after? What’s the plan?

CH: The Democratic Party has to remember that we are the party of working people. And when you look at when Democrats had the trifecta in Michigan, we did things to lower the cost for people. We passed the largest tax cut for working families, brought 30,000 kids out of poverty and gave free breakfast and lunch for every kid. The largest investment in affordable housing in our history, the largest investment in lowering the cost of childcare, we have the record to do that.

We didn’t run on it.

So Democrats have a responsibility to both provide solutions, but also to talk about them to the electorate.

There’s a line Maya Angelou has. “It’s not what you do for people, it’s how you make them feel.” (Ed. Note: This quote in many paraphrased forms is often attributed to Angelou, but there’s no evidence she ever wrote or said it.) We didn’t have the conversation about the things that we had accomplished for people.

This generation right now is the slowest generation in American history to buy a house, to buy a car, to start a family. That is a long systemic problem that we have not fully solved, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that, but they’re only making it worse.

On the other side, there’s a line in the movie “The American President” that if you don’t give people water, they’ll drink sand. Trump is to blame. He is trying to pit people against each other in order to maintain power, but we got to give people water. That’s the history and the soul of who the Democratic Party is, and that’s what we have to do as we’re heading into after the elections.

RM: But there’s always that sense that Democrats are going to get into power and they’re going to raise taxes.

CH: I just told you—

RM: Yeah, but what’s the plan you’re talking about making people ‘feel’ alright…

CH: It’s important to acknowledge the fact that in Michigan, we actually lowered the taxes for most working families and brought 30,000 kids out of poverty. We’re the ones that ended the retirement tax. (Former GOP Gov.) Rick Snyder is the one that put it on. So I do think that there are good examples of that. At the end of the day, I don’t want to raise the taxes on any Americans, except for those that are in the top 1% that I think can afford to pay them in order to provide what is guaranteed to all of us, which is the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

“We’ve got to stop giving up on places.” 

RM: So Democrats are reconnecting with the working class in Michigan. But you know, nationally, that seems like it’s a lesson from 2024. What else can you glean from that election?

CH: Here’s the thing, it’s not just a lesson from 2024 I want to be perfectly clear. We need to build a party that is not just survive on one election alone. Like, like, that’s part of the problem is that we didn’t learn the actual lessons in 2018 because we won. And to me, there’s, there are really important lessons that the Democratic Party has to learn.

Part of it is, we’ve got to stop giving up on places. I was in 32 counties last year working to do the work of a Democratic Party.

It’s hard to sell a Democrat from California in Kalkaska, but it is easy to sell people that are actually from that community. And so we’ve got to rebuild.

So it’s not just about redoing one election and trying to win one election, this is about the structural problem that we have got to refocus back and try to win everywhere. It’s why we have an office in Detroit, because a lot of times, people in Detroit felt like we had abandoned them, that we were showing up in September and asking for their vote. We’re in as part of the community now, because it’s important to do that work.

Trying to bring people together after losing trust

RM: There was a major rift within the Democratic Party about Israel’s war in Gaza. A lot of that affected Dearborn, Hamtramck—metro Detroit’s Muslim and Arab communities. How do you rebuild that trust? Because a lot of them either stayed home or ended up voting for Donald Trump because he was the “peace candidate.”

CH: So I was endorsed for chair by both the Jewish Caucus and the Arab caucus, because there is a real want and need to build spaces where people communicate together.

There’s not going to be a Democratic party where everyone agrees on every single issue that that that that is out there, but there has got to be room for people to have conversation and be able to find places they agree with.

So for example, on ICE and the changing of what ‘America’ means when we have immigrants actually carrying their own papers because they’re afraid… I met with an American citizen who carries his passport every single day because he’s terrified of being stopped in the street.

That’s something the Jewish Caucus and the Arab caucus agree on, and they work together on. I think that’s what’s really powerful, is actually finding the spaces of agreement between people. My job is not to decide where the Democratic party goes. That’s the people’s job. Like the idea that the chair of the Democratic Party is supposed to set the position for all these people is just nonsense.

RM: I’m talking about outreach, really. There was a lot of trust broken. I talked with a ton of people, and we had 100,000 people vote uncommitted in a primary that took place in Michigan.

CH: We actively avoided conversations. And that does not work. I’m spending a lot of time in the Arab community and the Jewish community right now, actually, because I think it’s really important that we actually provide a space.

And I think that really the biggest thing that I am trying to solve is that people have felt forgotten by the Democratic Party. And I can tell you that that’s why I was in 32 counties last year. It’s why I was at more iftars than I’ve ever been in my entire life last year. It’s why finding that space between people is so important, and showing up and being part of the conversation and listening, which I think is probably the most important part politicians and party people have a tendency to talk a lot, but not to listen a lot. So that’s what I’m I’m doing as chair of this party, trying to bring people together.

Democrats need to fight back

RM: You talked about Eli Savit and Garlin Gilchrist being fighters for Michigan.

CH: Yes.

RM: Is that in response to the perception nationally of Democrats not being fighters for what they want? Because there’s a reason why the Democratic Party has a very, very low favorability rating right now. From the people I’ve talked to, especially at protests, they don’t feel like the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates are doing enough to fight for what they want.

CH: I will say that my best days are when Democrats are fighting back. I think we had the most progressive six months in the history of Michigan, when Democrats had the trifecta. But I get it like people are frustrated and they’re angry, and I would say two things about that.

One, we should always push our leaders to do more, and I’m all for that, and that’s important. But I will also say that for each of us, we’re waiting for the calvary to come, and we have to realize that we are the cavalry.

We have got to do the work to change and take the Republicans out of power.

We do these things called “People’s Town Halls.” It’s my favorite thing that I do as chair. We go into Republican districts and we actually bring people in because they refuse to meet with their own constituents, and we listen to people and what they’re feeling and the anger and the frustration.

And I get that people want that to change, but I will say this: right now, unfortunately, Democrats are in minority in the house by three seats, and in the Senate. We can change at this election. Democrats do have to prove they’re willing to fight back, absolutely, but we got to get to the place where in the power to actually change that first. And I have full faith that, when I’m going around the state, that we have Democrats that are ready to go out and do that work.

Michigan elects a new governor this year and WDET is talking to the candidates vying to replace term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

One of those in the crowded Republican field for governor is former Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard. He wants to lower taxes and reduce government spending.

But Leonard says he’s also running to protect the future for Michigan’s children, including his own kids.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tom Leonard: There’s three very simple reasons why I’m doing this. And those are Hannah, Thomas, and Danny. That’s our nine-year-old, our six-year-old, and our now 20-month-old.

When you look at the state of our state right now, the unemployment, the lack of income growth, a quarter of our population right now suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment. The list goes on.

We are doing this because the last thing that we want is for one of our kids to come to us in the next 15-20 years and say, “Dad, we’d love to stay in the greatest state in the country. But unfortunately we have to leave because there’s no opportunity for us here in Michigan.” That’s why we’re doing this.

Education serves as a foundation

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: If you were elected governor, how would you try to address some of that?

TL: There are so many things that we have got to get done to turn this state around. One of the biggest issues that I’m focused on right now is education. Fourth graders right now in this state cannot read at a proficient level. Quinn, that is our foundation, that is our base. And I can tell you as a former prosecutor, if somebody has to drop out of school because they’re illiterate, you have created a pipeline to a welfare check or a prison cell.

I believe we need to make Michigan a right-to-work state again. Growth states in this country are right-to-work states. I believe we need to phase out the income tax.

I hear many of these candidates out there gaslighting people across the state, saying that they’re going to eliminate the state income tax on day one. That’s despite the fact that the legislature isn’t even sworn in until nearly two weeks after the governor comes into office.

I would say look at my past track record and my history. That’s what we did when I was speaker. And when I’m the state’s next governor that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to get these big-ticket items across the finish line.

Mental health crisis

QK: You mentioned education. What other issues do you think are vitally important at the moment to Michigan?

TL: I seem to be the one candidate out there right now that’s talking about this mental health crisis. As I said, a quarter of our population suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment.

I believe it starts with ending the stigma that comes attached when somebody is diagnosed with a mental health issue. Think about this for a moment. If you or somebody is diagnosed with something physically, what do they typically do? They go to their friends, they go to their family, they go to their place of worship, they ask for prayer, they start treatment.

Sadly, when people are diagnosed with a mental health issue, they are scared. They don’t know what to do. We’ve got to end the stigma that comes attached.

Energy policy reform

TL: Energy costs. This is a big one right now as I travel the state. I’m hearing more and more of people that can no longer afford their electricity bills. Frankly, we’ve got a broken system. We’ve got a Michigan Public Service Commission that no longer works for the people of this state. They work for two monopoly utilities. They sign off on every single rate increase that they ask for.

Enough is enough. We are the one campaign that has put forth a plan to not only bring choice and competition to the state and the utility monopolies, but also shake up the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Right now those regulators, who dictate our rates, are three unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor. That is way too much power given to the governor. The governor should never control those appointments. Our plan calls for increasing the Michigan Public Service Commission from three to five members, only giving the governor two appointments.

The other appointments would be made by the attorney general, the speaker of the Michigan house and the senate majority leader. These are the types of bold solutions we are putting on the table to address the problems that the people of this state are facing.

Data centers feed into energy problems

QK: There’s been concerns raised by some people about the possibility of rate increases and energy or water problems from the advent of data centers across the state. From some of your past statements, it sounds like you’re not exactly a fan of data centers.

TL: The one being proposed right now that’s being built in Saline Township is 1.4 gigawatts. That is equivalent to the energy used by a million homes. There’s now one being proposed in Van Buren that’s nearly double that, with energy use equal to 2 million homes. Quinn, there are only 4.5 million homes in this entire state. Two industrial-sized data centers alone that they’re proposing would equal the energy for 3 million homes.

I don’t want these things driving-up our energy rates. We need to end the tax subsidies that come attached with these things.

The legislature a couple years ago passed legislation to give tens of millions of dollars to these big tech data centers. They should not be taking money out of our pockets and putting it in the hands of big tech to go out and buy up our farmland. So, end the subsidies.

We need to ban the use of non-disclosure agreements. You’ve got these local governments that are signing these NDA’s. The local citizens have no idea who’s going to be built in their area. They have no idea who’s going to be running these data centers.

These data centers do not create long-term jobs. Yet there is the risk that they are going to drive up our energy rates. And every time I push back on this energy issue, people say, “Well, they’re going to be regulated.” And then I ask the question, “Who’s going to regulate them?” “The Michigan Public Service Commission.” And I say, “So the same three regulators that have given us some of the highest electricity rates in the country, the same three regulators that refuse to tell DTE Energy and Consumers Energy ‘No,’ we are now going to allow to regulate these data centers?” I don’t think so.

I fear that they’re going to drive up our rates. We’ve already got the highest rates in the Midwest and some of the highest in the country. We cannot afford to pay more on our electricity bills.

What to do about political division

QK: It’s no secret how politically divided not only lawmakers but the country and the state as a whole are nowadays. Do you think it’s possible that anyone who would be governor will be able to bring people together at this point in time? Or is it just simply a matter of, “We’ve got to go forward with our policies and hope the other side comes along at some point?”

TL: I believe Democrats gave Republicans a playbook two years ago for what happens when you wake up every day and you have no vision and your only focus is hatred of one person. You lose. And I believe, as a Republican, if Republicans wake up every day and their only focus is hatred of Democrats, they will lose.

They’ve got to put forth a vision. That’s why every single day I’m focused on tackling problems, not people. I’m going to stay bold in my convictions, I’m a strong conservative. I don’t shy away from that. But there is nothing wrong with working across the aisle when it comes to accomplishing things for our state. We’ve actually labeled it the “Dan Campbell” approach.

You may recall when Coach Campbell became the coach of the Lions and he stood on that stage at the first press conference. He didn’t focus on six decades of failure. He didn’t cast blame. He didn’t point the finger. He just simply said, “We’ve got a problem here. And with a lot of grit, a lot of determination, working together with a positive vision every single day, we’re going to turn this program around.”

If Coach Campbell was able to turn the absolute worst sports franchise in the history of all mankind around with that type of vision, we can do the same thing for this state.

The Michigan Democratic Senate Primary is heating up a bit. Polls largely show the trio of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, and State Senator Mallory McMorrow all within the margin of error of each other.

Stevens and McMorrow have been trading off the lead.

The race has simmered with the candidates not really taking shots at each other. That’s now changed.

Yesterday, El-Sayed rallied at the University of Michigan and Michigan State with left-wing influencer Hasan Piker.

Piker’s livestreams – and political commentary – have drawn over three million followers on Twitch.

In 2024, Piker was invited to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but was kicked out over his criticism of Democrats and candidate Kamala Harris – for their failure to stop or criticize Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The 34-year-old Piker has made some controversial statements and his inclusion by the progressive El-Sayed has drawn sharp criticism by centrist Democrats.

When the campaign stops were announced, McMorrow was quick to compare Piker to Nick Fuentes—a far-right white supremacist holocaust denier. Stevens and current Michigan U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin also criticized the move.

Detroit-based reporter Tom Perkins looked at the controversy for The Guardian.

He tells WDET’s Russ McNamara that this fight is indicative of an internal struggle within the Democratic Party.

A party divided

Tom Perkins: I think this is really part of the ongoing civil war between the sort of Hillary Clinton wing of the party and the more progressive Bernie Sanders / AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) / Zohran Mamdani wing of the party.

You have El-Sayed and Piker, who are very progressive, and Piker has campaigned or interviewed AOC, Sanders, Zohran Mamdani, etc. And while McMorrow is a little bit younger and more progressive than somebody like Hillary Clinton, a lot of her surrogates, her aides, etc., come from that camp. And so that’s sort of the broader dynamic here and worth keeping in mind.

Accusations of anti-semitism

TP: Piker has been highly critical of Israel. He’s criticized it over its genocide, its rampaging through the Middle East, its war crimes, its atrocities, and he speaks about it in very strong terms. So that’s that alone has drawn some criticism, but he’s also said some pretty controversial things.

[Piker] said Hamas is lesser of the two evils with the Israeli government. Hamas is 1000 times better than the Israeli government. And he said this in the context of looking at who causes more death in the Middle East. And while it’s a controversial statement, people have said, “Oh, well, that’s antisemitic.” But he’s defended himself and said, “No, that’s a criticism of the Israeli government. That’s not a criticism of all Jewish people.”

[Piker] called a sect of Orthodox Jews in Israel who are ethno-supremacists, “inbred.” And that ignited a huge controversy, and that’s been used against him. People have said, “Oh, well, he called all Jews inbred.” He’s, defended that, and said, “No, I use that term to describe Nazis. I use that term to describe ethno-supremacists and racial supremacists of all kinds.”

When I talked with him about it, he said, “Look, there’s a super cut out there of an hour long of me calling different groups inbred, and it has nothing to do with with Jewish people or Jews. It’s just a term that I use to describe supremacists.”

Arab American views

Russ McNamara: What do Arab American leaders say here in Michigan?

TP: For my story, I spoke with seven local and national Arab American and Lebanese American leaders. They all said some variation of the same thing, which is that these attacks on El-Sayed and Piker show that the establishment Democrats are making the same moral and strategic blunders that they made in 2024 that led to Dems electoral demise in Michigan and nationally.

They say this is an attempt to censor criticism of Israel, and they say that it shows the anti-Arab bias that imbues the political establishment. McMorrow in her criticism of El-Sayed and Piker said, “Well, you know, Piker shouldn’t be here, because this happened in the wake of the Temple Israel Synagogue attacks,” which she said that Jewish people are suffering from that. Which is true that Jewish people are suffering from that, and that should be acknowledged, but she doesn’t acknowledge the suffering of the 120,000 Lebanese American people in Michigan.

Their families are from southern Lebanon. Israel has invaded Lebanon, virtually every one of these 120,000 people, either have a family member, a loved one, a friend who has been killed by Israel, or displaced by Israel. A million people are displaced right now in southern Lebanon. Many, many people from Michigan have family members who are suffering. That suffering is reverberating across Southeast Michigan, and that is not being acknowledged by McMorrow or centrist Democrats or establishment Democrats.

RM: How much impact will this actually have on the Democratic Primary?

TP: One of the one of the folks I spoke with for the story was Abed Ayoub, who’s the spokesperson for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), an Arab American civil rights group in Dearborn.

He said to me: “Look, Republicans are making inroads here. If there’s somebody like McMorrow, if there’s a Democratic candidate who’s not considering us, who’s not thinking about our suffering, who’s telling us to be quiet about Israel, then the same things that happened in 2024 are going to happen again. People are going to vote for a Republican. They’re going to stay home, they’re going to vote third party. So yes, if you want to win in Michigan, you might want to acknowledge this suffering. You might want to acknowledge that this is happening.”

I should stress that everybody I spoke with said some variation the same thing, which is the suffering of both people can be acknowledged at the same time. We don’t have to exclude one or the other.

Michigan elects a new governor this year.

The crowded field of candidates for the governor’s office includes former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.

The Republican contender says his background has shaped his run for the top job in Lansing.

Interview edited for length and clarity

Mike Cox: Just a generation ago, my parents came to Michigan because it was the greatest state in the greatest nation. They were immigrants, legal immigrants, and literally my dad used to tell us when we were growing up as kids that the streets were paved with gold when he got here. That’s how so many generations of Americans have viewed Michigan.

And right now, as football coaches tell us, the numbers tell the story. You are what your record says you are. And every single month we’re dwelling at the bottom in unemployment.

Just 12 years ago, we were middle of the pack in fourth grade reading, middling, and we’ve shrunk all the way back to the bottom.

The flip side of that is my granddaughters, kind of fortuitously, are growing up in Mississippi. In the past 12 years, they went from 49th to 9th. That’s why they call it the Mississippi Miracle. It’s been a miracle for my grandkids.

So why am I running for governor? We’ve been in decline too long. And I know I can build a team that’ll lead us back to victory, to make Michigan the state my parents remembered.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: You mentioned several issues there.  Which do you see as the most important to voters in Michigan?

MC: The most important are the three “E’s.” That’s education, employment/economy and emigration with an “e.” That means outbound migration, folks leaving us. And that’s really a function of education and the economy.

Over the past seven years we’ve had a state government that’s grown by 54%. $31 billion in new spending. And Quinn, that is killing affordability here in Michigan. You overlay that with Gov. Whitmer’s clean energy plan, which many, including me, call a scam. We now have the highest energy rates in the Midwest.

It makes it much less competitive to do business here in Michigan. So people are heading south. I’m not just talking about Florida, Tennessee, Texas. I’m talking about Indiana and Ohio. They’re the ones who are picking our pockets. And as governor, we can change that.

Spending less, improving education

QK: If you were elected governor, how would you address those issues specifically? Especially if you would still have to deal with a politically-divided legislature.

MC: Look, I was a prosecutor here in Detroit for 13 years before I was elected attorney general. Across the region, people want their kids to be able to read by the third grade, right? So, in terms of fixing education, states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi are now leading the country and doing it with much less money than we in Michigan spend. What do they do?

Number one, they require every kid to be able to read by third grade. Pretty simple. Number two, make sure every kid gets taught phonics the same way. Pretty simple. If a kid’s struggling, such as my granddaughter who is autistic, they get a tutor. Number four, provide coaching for teachers. And then number five, grade every public school, including charters. That allows parents, grandparents, and property taxpayers to see how their local school is doing.

Those five things have turned Mississippi around. And they’re doing it with 40% less spending per child, through every single demographic. We can do that. It’s doable right now.

Eliminating income tax

MC: In terms of eliminating income tax, it’s just simple. What are the most dynamic states in the nation right now? There’s Florida, Tennessee and Texas, like I mentioned, but also Wyoming, New Hampshire, cold weather states, South Dakota, Nevada. What do they all have in common? They all have different economies but they all have no income tax.

That helps small business owners, folks doing what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years since I disappeared from politics and built a business. It would cut the state corporate tax on 900,000 small businesses here in Michigan. And what then happens? The owner there can buy another stove or hire another server or consider opening another facility, right? It means the owner of a tool and die shop might send her employees for new training or buy a new machine.

Governors cannot pick winners and losers. Wall Street can’t even do that. But you can lower the burden on every small businessman and woman, make decisions quicker in terms of permitting and licensing. Doesn’t make anything less safe, but makes the process quicker.

You accelerate, you join the cadence, the velocity of what business needs to succeed. And this state will grow more prosperous.

What replaces income tax funds?

QK: If you eliminate the state income tax, that would erase a fair amount of revenue that comes into the state. How would you replace it?

MC: When I was elected attorney general in a close statewide race—I was the only Republican to ever beat Democrat Gary Peters—I didn’t know we were about to walk into the “lost decade.” For seven or eight years we were in a one state recession. And the rest of the country joined us during the Great Recession.

As you can imagine, our caseload jumped about 10%. At the same time, each and every year I was getting less money from the legislature. I had to reduce the size of my staff by 21%. No one ever does that in government. But I did it because it was required.

So what do you do at the state level? You do what Ford, GM, and Chrysler do. You turn to your vendors and you squeeze them for money. We upgrade technology. Without the goal, we’re never going to get there. And we will start to attract people again. Our revenues will actually grow as each and every year you see Tennessee growing, Texas growing. People are moving there. They’re staying there.

What does it mean? For a young couple trying to save up for that first home, a couple years without the income tax means they get the nest egg to plant roots right here in Michigan. For 900,000 small businesses, which are more than 99% of all the businesses in Michigan, it would be a tax cut. They would be able to hire more people, employ more people. The income tax is $13 billion every year. Michigan’s government, under the governor’s current proposal, will have grown $31 billion over seven years. That’s over twice what it would take to eliminate the income tax.

And I’ve taken on big fights and won. That includes utilities, when I saved ratepayers over $3 billion when I intervened. Whether it’s Blue Cross, when I helped stick up for individual payers and seniors, or whether it’s government in terms of affirmative action, I’m a guy who sticks up for the little guy and little woman.