Detroit Mayor Duggan plans to lay out his policy plans next week

Detroit — Three-term Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is expected to make an announcement about his political future next Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The longtime Democrat has yet to actively raise money for the 2025 mayoral race, according to campaign finance reports, fueling speculation that Duggan will seek statewide office. Amid this inaction, at least three current or former Detroit City Council members have formed committees to explore the possibility of running for mayor.

In August, when Duggan spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he was introduced on stage as a man who would make a “good governor.” The mayor thanked his host “for starting my election campaign a little earlier than I expected.”

Two-term Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot run again due to term limits.

Campaign finance reports show that Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and former City Council President Sauntille Jenkins raised more than $100,000 for their exploratory committees. Sheffield, which formed its committee last year, has $355,189 for its potential mayoral bid, public records show.

Jenkins has raised $119,900 since forming her exploratory committee in late August, according to public records kept by the Wayne County Clerk’s office.

Detroit City Councilman Fred Dural III also recently formed an exploratory committee to consider running for mayor, but has not yet reported any fundraising activity. An exploratory committee allows potential candidates to raise money and recruit staff to potentially run for political office. The formation of a committee usually precedes the formal nomination of a candidate.

During a June interview with The Detroit News on Mackinac Island, Duggan reflected on his legacy but did not reveal his plans for the future.

“…I changed the policy in the city,” the mayor said. “Us versus them politics is practically dead. Candidates who try to run on it are defeated. They fail in city council elections, and they certainly won’t do well in mayoral elections. And so I certainly hope that we will see several candidates, whether I am one of them or not, who will seek to unite the city rather than divide it.”

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