It's early in Detroit mayor's race, but money is starting to flow

Yes, but: Sheffield announced her campaign in December, earlier than her opponents, and these reports come at the beginning of a long race in which many pivotal voices are still weighing who to support.

• Some potential candidates have yet to announce their campaigns.
• The election's primary is in August, then the top two candidates compete in November.

By the numbers: Sheffield raised nearly $163,000 in Q4 2024, for a total of nearly $468,000 on hand at the end of the year. She held a fundraiser in Atlanta and has garnered support from some major big business influencers, like the Dan Gilbert-connected Rock Holdings Inc. State PAC and Cindy Pasky, CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions.

• State Rep. Joe Tate, who has not formally announced his candidacy but has formed an "exploratory committee," raked in some hefty donations from PACS and brought over $40,000 from another Tate committee. He raised nearly $130,000 in the quarter and had nearly $129,000 on hand.
• Candidate Saunteel Jenkins, the former CEO of nonprofit The Heat and Warmth Fund and former City Council president, raised more than $53,000 in Q4 and ended the year with nearly $117,000 on hand. She held three local fundraisers and received support from former Mayor Dave Bing, Kresge Foundation leader Rip Rapson and other big names.
• City Council member Fred Durhal raised $112,000 in Q4 and had nearly $112,000 on hand, including from former top city executives, prominent names in business and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

Worthy of your time: BridgeDetroit's map shows where in the country these candidates' donations are coming from.

Some of Sheffield's large and/or notable contributions in this most recent quarter include:

• Dan Gilbert-connected Rock Holdings Inc. State PAC: $13,000
• Wafa Eljahmi and Yousef Almadrahi, with Specialty Medical Center: $8,325 each
• Louay Hussein of towing company J & T Crova: $8,235
• Cindy Pasky, CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions: $8,000
• Rudy Matti, president of cannabis retailer Backpack Boyz on 8 Mile Road: $2,000
• Maha Freij, CEO of Dearborn's Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS): $500
• Lance Woods, co-founder of running club WeRun313: $100

• Atlanta-based venture capitalist Arian Simone Reed: $2,500
• Richard Hosey, owner of Hosey Development and co-developer of the Fisher Body plant: $1,000
• Eric Larson, developer and Downtown Detroit Partnership CEO: $1,000

Jenkins' include:

• Former Mayor Dave Bing: $1,000
• Rip Rapson, CEO of the Kresge Foundation: $1,000
• Jim Nicholson, co-chair of PVS Chemicals: $2,000
• William Phillips, CEO of business services provider P.I.E. Management: $5,000
• Carina Jackson, COO of Mariners Inn: $2,500
• Dan Loepp, recently retired CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan: $1,000
• Director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and former state Sen. Adam Hollier: $250
• Rodney Cole of the DTE Energy Foundation: $250

Durhal's include:

• Juvaria Khan, director of D.C. nonprofit The Appellate Project: $1,000
• Local consultant and former state Sen. Buzz Thomas: $1,000
• Brad Dick, former city COO: $250
• Antoine Bryant, former city planning director: $250
• Jared Fleisher, vice president of Dan Gilbert's Rock Family of Companies: $2,000
• Dewey Santoro, owner of Santoro Auto & Truck: $3,000
• Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters: $10,000
• The Advancing Detroit and Michigan PAC, linked to Hollier: $1,300 and $9,000
• Paul Quasarano of Eastown Distributors: $3,000
• Hosey, co-developer of the Fisher Body plant: $1,000
• Manish Chaudhary and Majid Shaukat with DMC Group: $2,500 and $8,000

Tate's include:

• Antonio Pollicella of Team Wellness: $8,325
• David Meador, retired DTE Energy executive: $5,000
• Operating Engineers Local 324 PAC: $25,000
• Transformational Leadership Fund: $16,977
• MI Forward Fund: $6,830