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Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday that he is suspending his campaign for Michigan governor citing an increasingly \u201ctoxic\u201d political climate due to President Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0war with Iran\u00a0and\u00a0skyrocketing gas prices.<\/p>\n
Duggan, a longtime Democrat, was running as an independent to replace Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who can\u2019t run again due to term limits. He told The Associated Press that it was going to be \u201cvery hard to win\u201d as the Democrats who would have supported him are galvanizing against what\u2019s going on in Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocrat anger against Trump and Republicans is extremely high,\u201d Duggan said. \u201cIn 60 days there\u2019s been a huge change in the attitudes of this country. People are feeling the pain at the pump and are angry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
An independent has never served as Michigan governor and third-party candidates typically don\u2019t fare well in elections for the state\u2019s top seat. To Duggan,\u00a0who shunned partisan fighting\u00a0while choosing to run as an independent, it was clear the odds were stacking against his campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as I knew there was a path for victory, I was going to fight,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t see a likely path to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toxic partisan politics<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of the war with Iran in late February,\u00a0oil prices have spiked\u00a0more than 50%. As of Thursday, the price of regular unleaded gas in Michigan averaged $4.74 per gallon, according to AAA Michigan. That\u2019s above the $4.56 national average. A year ago, the average in Michigan was $3.13. Nationally, it was $3.18.<\/p>\n
Trump repeatedly has said gas prices will go down once the war ends without acknowledging when that might happen.<\/p>\n
Nationally, Trump\u2019s approval rating on the economy has dropped slightly since the start of the Iran war, according to AP-NORC polling. A\u00a0recent AP-NORC poll conducted in May\u00a0found that even Republicans are unhappier with Trump\u2019s handling of the economy than they were a few months ago, even as they\u2019re largely continuing to stand behind him. About 6 in 10 Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, down from about 8 in 10 before the war began.<\/p>\n
Duggan believed he was trailing Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Republican U.S. Rep. John James in the governor\u2019s race. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson also is running as a Democrat, while millionaire businessman Perry Johnson is running as a Republican.<\/p>\n
Michigan\u2019s primary election will be held Aug. 4, while the general election is Nov. 3.<\/p>\n
In December 2024,\u00a0Duggan announced\u00a0his pursuit of the state\u2019s top office surprising many when he also said he\u2019d choose the independent route instead of sticking with the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
Duggan told The AP at that time that he wanted to offer Michigan voters \u201ca choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear to me that there are a lot of people in this country who are tired of both parties and tired of the system,\u201d Duggan said then. \u201cYou have a (state) legislature that\u2019s almost evenly divided that makes the stakes of each issue become magnified. It has gotten harder and harder to address things as the partisan climate has gotten more toxic.\u201d<\/p>\n
His decision to run as an independent came as Michigan was one of a handful of swing states that helped Trump\u00a0in November 2024 win a second term\u00a0in the White House.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done everything I know how to do for almost a year and a half,\u201d Duggan said Thursday. \u201cYou could feel the mood of this state wanting the toxic partisanship to end. They wanted the parties to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Targeted by his former party<\/p>\n
Duggan spent a dozen years as Detroit mayor. He first was\u00a0elected in November 2013\u00a0as the city was going through its painful and historic bankruptcy while being run by a\u00a0state-appointed emergency manager. The former county prosecutor and medical center executive became Detroit\u2019s first white mayor since Coleman A. Young was elected in the early 1970s as its first Black mayor.<\/p>\n
Duggan is credited by many for leading Detroit after it\u00a0emerged in December 2014 from bankruptcy\u00a0to become a thriving, more vibrant city.<\/p>\n
The city with a Black population hovering around 80% reelected Duggan twice. He announced in November 2024 that he would not seek a fourth term. He left the mayor\u2019s office in January.<\/p>\n
Duggan, who had been a Democrat for close to 40 years in a largely Democrat voting city, was targeted throughout the campaign by his former party, with many worried he would pull votes away from the Democratic Party\u2019s nominee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was running to change politics, not to be a spoiler,\u201d he said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Thursday in a statement that there were \u201cdisagreements\u201d with Duggan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mayor brought crucial ideas to this race and we appreciate his commitment to bringing people together,\u201d Hertel said. \u201cAs we look ahead, we welcome Mayor Duggan\u2019s supporters into our growing coalition as we work to elect a Democratic governor this November who will continue to move Michigan forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following Duggan\u2019s announcement that he would run for governor, Republican and former Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said on X that Duggan checked the boxes of being a \u201ccredible, independent candidate with the ability to raise money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are huge advantages of having a political party behind you,\u201d Calley wrote. \u201cAnd being a target of the left and the right will be intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
#days #huge #change #attitudes #country #Detroit #mayor #bipartisan #approach #governor #race #doomed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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