For many years, the Michigan government has been dominated by Democratic or Republican governors, representatives and senators. However, former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan, who is running for governor as an independent, believes that this should change. According to the New York Times, Duggan is as much as 28 points ahead in recent polls of head-to-head races against Democratic and Republican candidates for the position of governor as Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s second term comes to a close.
From 2014 until the start of 2026, Duggan, as a democrat, led the city of Detroit through a prominent revival, including significant decreases in crime and poverty, combined with the first population increase since the 1950s. During the Northern Michigan Policy Conference, Duggan highlighted affordable housing as a focus of his mission to reform.
“We made city land and old school buildings available to developers quickly, we eased the permitting process,” Duggan said. “We have built 6000 affordable housing units in the last six years.”
Duggan’s platform for governor largely centers on bringing the two parties together to focus on solving problems more effectively. South AP U.S. Government teacher Kevin Minor thinks that aiming for the middle could have a strong effect on who voters end up choosing.
“You’re going to have people who are moderate Republicans or moderate Democrats who aren’t afraid to switch over [party lines]…and it seems like Duggan is trying to split the difference,” Minor said. “It’s gonna be enough to scare [partisan candidates], because they’re going to lose a lot of votes in the middle.”
Charlie Marks ’27, despite being quite young for a lot of Duggan’s time as mayor, recognizes the work he has done for the city as well. He believes that running as an independent, combined with his history as a Democratic mayor, will help strengthen his voter base.
“By removing yourself from the Democratic party, but still running with some of these ideas that are still very popular, you can get more voters and change more people’s minds,” Marks said.
As a lifelong Michigan resident, Minor has yet to see an independent candidate win the governor position, but he recognizes the hopefulness that a shift away from the two major parties can bring to many Michigan residents.
“I think that there’s some fatigue with partisan politics and how divisive things have been,” Minor said. “If he can convince people that he can split the difference and can be somebody who can work with anybody, I can see how that could appeal to a lot of people.”
