Duggan Endorses Sheffield 

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has endorsed City Council President Mary Sheffield in her run to become Detroit’s next mayor.  The two appeared together this morning at a news conference on the city’s west side. 

Sheffield says she’s ready to move the city forward. 

“I am thankful for Mayor Duggan’s support.  I am ready,” says Sheffield. “I am prepared to lead Detroit to its next chapter.”  

Sheffield won just over 50 percent of the vote in this month’s primary election.  She’ll face Pastor Solomon Kinloch in the November general election. 

Additional headlines

Chandler Park upgrades 

Detroit officials gathered in Chandler Park this afternoon to celebrate upgrades to the eastside park. 

Top of the list is the new Chandler Park Fieldhouse.  The 130-thousand square foot facility includes an indoor sports turf field, multi-sports courts and fitness areas. 

Chandler Park already has an 18-hole golf course and the Wayne County Aquatic Center.  It’s Detroit’s fourth largest park. 

Duggan gains endorsements for governor

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan continues to collect endorsements for his gubernatorial campaign.  He appeared at Michigan Central Station Tuesday to tout 215 endorsements from current and former Democratic and Republican elected officials from around the state.  

Duggan says he’s making a statement with his decision to run for governor as an independent. 

“I know it would be a lot easier to get elected as a Democrat.  It would be a lot easier for all these folks up here not to have to step out and endorse an independent.  But I would have been part of the same old politics in Lansing.  And it is time to send an unmistakable message to tell the folks in Lansing that politics as usual is over.” 

Duggan announced last year that he would not run for a fourth term as mayor of Detroit.  Instead, he’s running to become Michigan’s next governor.  That election takes place in November 2026. 

WSU move-in traffic 

You can expect pedestrian and vehicle traffic to be heavy in Midtown Detroit over the next few days.  That’s because students are headed back to Wayne State University. 

Expect to see U-Hauls and other trucks carrying furniture and other belongings.  Move in at the school’s dorms began today. 

Classes begin on Monday.   

UDM volunteers during orientation

First year students at the University of Detroit Mercy are volunteering for projects in northwest Detroit today and tomorrow. 

They’ll work in parks and gardens and on block clubs in the area near the university. 

The volunteer work is the final part of the school’s orientation for incoming students.  It’s goal is to connect students with the area’s social and cultural networks. 

Federov #91 retired 

The Detroit Red Wings are retiring the jersey of All-Star Sergei Federov. 

Federov played 13 seasons with the Redwings, from 1990 to 2003.  He helped the team win three Stanley Cup Championships.  The Hockey Hall of Fame center scored 400 goals and had 554 assists for the Red Wings. 

A special ceremony to honor Federov and hang his jersey from the rafters at Little Caesars Arena will take place on January 12^th. 

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

Michigan’s 2026 gubernatorial race is underway, and MichMash is talking to all of the major candidates. In this week’s episode, WDET host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben sit down with Former State House Speaker Tom Leonard to learn why he’s running and what sets him apart from other candidates.

Plus, Cheyna and Alethia explain the current status of Michigan’s 2026 fiscal budget.

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

In this episode: 

• Why wasn’t the 2026 fiscal budget approved by the July 1 deadline?
• Why is Tom Leonard running for governor?

Highlights

On Duggan running as an Independent

One of the outliers of the 2026 gubernatorial race is Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan running as an Independent. Leonard says that despite Duggan’s party affiliation change, not much else has.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, the mayor is a Democrat. He is not an Independent,” Leonard told MichMash. “If somebody were to ask him right now where he breaks away from the Democrats on any major issue, I don’t think he could give one.”

Leonard went on to say that he believes Duggan in the race affects Democrats more than Republicans.

On the state budget’s delay

It’s been a month since the July 1 deadline, and the Michigan legislature still hasn’t approved the budget for the 2026 fiscal year. What’s causing the state capitol to fall behind schedule?

“A disagreement over unrelated legislation … led to Republican House Speaker Matt Hall kicking the ranking Democrat Rep. Albus Farhat of Dearborn off of the Appropriations Committee,” Alethia explained. “He was the lead Democrat trying to help negotiate this budget deal.”

As the academic year draws closer, many schools and are creating contingency plans in case the budget isn’t approved before the state fiscal year starts in October.

This week on MichMash, gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II sat down with WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben to explain why he’s running for governor of Michigan and how his engineering background could help.

Plus, we take a look at fundraising progress from the rest of the gubernatorial candidates.

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

In this episode:

• Why is Lt. Gov. Gilchrist running for governor?
• How much money have Michigan gubernatorial candidates raised so far?

Engineering change

Gilchrist graduated with two engineering degrees from the University of Michigan. Now as he runs to be the next governor of Michigan while still serving as lieutenant governor of Michigan, he views both jobs as serving the same purpose.

“I have one job, and that is to have as many conversations as possible with people across Michigan every single day … and then to take what they tell me and go make something happen,” he told MichMash. “People need a problem solver in office and that’s what I do as an engineer. I make systems work for people.”

Fundraising updates

All gubernatorial candidates, including Gilchrist, were required to report their first fundraising hauls this week. But despite this major milestone, the race is far from determined.

Democratic candidates include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. Benson has raised $3.5 million in the first six months of her campaign, Swanson has raised $1 million and Gilchrist has raised $750,000. 

While the Democratic field has appeared to settle, the Republican field seems more in flux. Former House Speaker Tom Leonard entered the race just a month ago, and a few weeks ago, 2022 Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Tudor Dixon announced she would not be running in 2026. Other candidates may still enter the race, and it’s possible that U.S. Rep. John James may back out of his gubernatorial bid amid pressure from President Donald Trump to maintain his congressional seat.

But for now, the main Republican candidates are Leonard, Senate Republican Leader Eric Nesbitt, James and former Attorney General Mike Cox. As the deadline to submit fundraising reports isn’t until 5 p.m. on Friday, we didn’t have all the data at the time this episode was recorded on Thursday afternoon. But we do know that Cox has raised $1.4 million and and that James moved $500,000 from his congressional committee to his gubernatorial committee earlier this month.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is also running for governor as an Independent, and his fundraising report had not yet been submitted at the time of this recording.