Duggan's campaign stirs up Michigan's election season
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Mike Duggan speaks in Detroit in July. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Reindustrialize Conference
Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is shaking up the 2026 governor's race with an independent campaign that's already drawing attacks from both Democrats and Republicans.
Why it matters: Duggan's unique campaign — he left the Democratic Party after President Trump's 2024 win — adds a buzzy dynamic to the governor's race that's already putting his three-term mayorship in the national spotlight.
The big picture: Michigan voters are in for another whirlwind year, with races for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, the state legislature, U.S. Senate and Congressional midterms on the ballot.
Besides Duggan, several major-party candidates are also running:
- Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the leading Democratic candidate. Her profile rose amid Michigan's contentious federal elections during her two terms.
- U.S. Rep. John James, of Shelby Township, has emerged as a Republican frontrunner. James is a combat veteran and Trump ally who was first elected to Congress in 2022.
What they're saying: There has "never" been such a viable independent gubernatorial candidate in Michigan history, Oakland University political science professor David Dulio tells Axios.
- "We have more and more Americans who are seemingly wanting alternatives outside of the two-party system," Dulio says. "It's going to be a fascinating campaign season to watch how he tries to break the stranglehold that the two parties have on a majority of voters."
State of play: Michigan's primary election is Aug. 4 and the general election is Nov. 3.
- Michigan has never elected an independent candidate as governor.
The intrigue: Benson and James must win their primaries to advance to the general.
- As an independent, Duggan doesn't have a primary to worry about.
- To get on the general election ballot, independent candidates must collect at least 12,000 valid signatures from registered voters, including at least 100 in each of at least seven of Michigan's 13 Congressional districts.
- Duggan doesn't seem worried about getting on the November ballot: "I'm going to file so many signatures, nobody's going to bother to try to have me disqualified," he told reporters on Monday.