Detroit Trail Mix: Sheffield leads on mayoral fundraising
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Welcome to another of our regular 2025 election updates. We're finally learning how much the candidates for Detroit mayor have raised this year in the pivotal race.
Why it matters: Money matters in a crowded election that features no incumbent or presumed winner, with Mayor Mike Duggan now running for governor.
State of play: City Council President Mary Sheffield has continued to outraise her competitors, according to campaign committee statements recently filed by candidates that cover the year through July 20.
Zoom in: A few notable 2025 donations to the candidates who've raised the most, including some made after the July 20 cutoff:
- Sheffield received $70,000 combined from SEIU Michigan and SEIU Local 1, plus $20,000 from the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters PAC — as well as $5,000 from LA-based actor Samuel L. Jackson.
- Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. received $1,000 from Comcast Corporation & NBC Universal PAC, $500 from law firm Lewis & Munday's PAC, and more than $7,000 from former mayoral candidate Anthony Adams.
- Former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins also received a $500 donation from Lewis & Munday's PAC, as well as $1,000 from billboard-famous attorney Joumana Kayrouz and $2,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan CEO Dan Loepp.
Between the lines: Stakeholders outside Detroit are voting with their money. Combined, Sheffield, Kinloch and Jenkins have taken in three times as much from those who live outside Detroit as those in the city, according to BridgeDetroit's analysis.
What's next: As of July 20, Sheffield still had more than $451,000 left to spend — about eight times more than the candidate with the next-highest amount, Kinloch, who had nearly $56,000 on hand.