Detroit mayor finds footing as independent in Michigan governor race

• Duggan's team knows the first order of business is to convince both independent and partisan voters that an independent candidacy is viable.
• Then they can move onto persuasion.

Driving the news: Duggan is sitting in third place with 26% support, according to a new poll conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research for his campaign.

• Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the secretary of state, is leading the pack with 30%, right ahead of GOP Rep. John James, at 29%.
• A separate poll, commissioned for the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, indicated that 58% of voters surveyed were open to voting for an independent for governor.

Zoom out: Michigan will be home to home to one of most contested Senate races of the cycle, featuring three well-financed Democrats fighting it out in the primary.

• But the governor's race is just as dynamic, with a three-way contest between Duggan, James and whichever Democrat emerges from the August primary.

Zoom in: Duggan, a three-term Detroit mayor, announced his campaign for governor last December, but with a twist – he would run as an independent, not a Democrat.

• He has been traveling across the state to introduce himself to voters outside of suburban Detroit.
• His mayoralty ends at the end of 2025, giving him more time to campaign.

The bottom line: Duggan's approval rating has been north of 80% in Detroit proper.

• But after ten months of campaigning across Michigan, he's showing some traction stateside.

Methodology: The Schoen poll sampled 600 likely voters from October 9 – 14, with a +/-4% margin of error. The Chamber poll surveyed 600 registered voters statewide from Sept. 10-14 and had +/- 4% margin of error.