Mayor's race pushes ahead following Mackinac conference
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Five candidates in the Mackinac Policy Conference's mayoral debate May 29. Photo: Courtesy of the Detroit Regional Chamber via Flickr
Coming off a high-profile conference packed with business leaders and potential donors, Detroit's mayoral hopefuls are sprinting to the end of this month with big events and rounds of door-knocking.
Why it matters: The late May Mackinac Policy Conference offered a venue to showcase leadership and policy plans but didn't reach a wide swath of Detroit voters — and candidates need to do just that ahead of June 26, when absentee ballots become available.
- Nine candidates are certified to run for mayor in the Aug. 5 primary.
Catch up quick: After last week's Mackinac debate, candidates are seeking funding and endorsements.
- That could potentially include the PAC run by the Detroit Regional Chamber, which hosted the conference.
- Mayoral candidate and City Council President Mary Sheffield, for example, nabbed another union endorsement after the debate.
Yes, but: Candidates should "brush off" Mackinac and hit the ground running, Mario Morrow, a political consultant and the president of a local communications firm, tells Axios.
- Connections made with Detroiters at their doors, on the street, on the bus and in neighborhood meetings are what will make someone stand out, he said.
Caveat: While Sheffield is seen as the frontrunner, and Triumph Church pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. is often noted as her top challenger, many voters are undecided and there's time for dynamics to shift.
The mayoral hopefuls are fanning out across the city to drum up street-level support.
What they're saying: Kinloch is preparing for a rally with UAW president Shawn Fain and hundreds of UAW members at 10am Saturday in Detroit, according to the union, which endorsed Kinloch.
- "There's no campaign with the ground force of the Kinloch campaign and it is getting fully activated," Kinloch spokesperson Dan Lijana tells Axios.
For Sheffield's campaign, the strategy hasn't changed post-Mackinac, even as the campaign kicks into high gear.
- "We are at the point where we're about to hit a sprint, before we hit the 'Get out the vote' efforts in July," campaign manager Chris Scott tells Axios.
Candidate and former City Council president Saunteel Jenkins said in a recent statement that "it's a virtual jump ball for the second spot" in the general election and that her platform is "getting seriously noticed by Detroit's voters."