Mike Duggan at MSU: Lansing's New Vision project is as serious as his independent run for governor
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Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, running as an independent, outlined his gubernatorial campaign at a Lansing Chamber of Commerce event.
Duggan praised Lansing's development projects and called for a collaborative approach to governance, moving beyond partisan divides.
EAST LANSING — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan praised some of Lansing's development projects as he sketched out his independent gubernatorial campaign at a Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday.
Duggan said his campaign as an independent candidate is widely seen as a longshot, not much different than his first Detroit mayoral election when, as a white man, he sought to lead a city with 83% Black residents.
He said people can test out his theory themselves: Ask their friends if they are happy with the two parties' options.
"Two-thirds of the people in every room I'm in say: 'We've been looking for change,'" Duggan said, speaking at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus. "If I listened to people tell me what couldn't be done, I wouldn't have run."
He said his trick during his first mayoral run was simple: Let people invite him into their homes and he'd talk to a small number of people, and he did that hundreds of times.
Duggan spoke to a crowded room of chamber members as part of the chamber's Lansing Economic Club 2025 Kickoff event.
The longtime Democrat said revitalizing Detroit required stepping out of Democrat-Republican fights and political battles and that's what he aimed to bring to Michigan as governor.
Duggan praised the more than $300 million New Vision Lansing project in Lansing, saying Lansing Mayor Andy Schor and his team have been doing the kind of development work that the rest of Michigan should model.
Duggan paused a moment and said he was unsure if people in the room supported the New Vision project, but he did. People in the room gave a round of applause at that point.
Schor, a Democrat seeking his third term this year, said he is focused on his own race and not on whether Duggan would affect Democrats in the governor's race.
"Mike is a fellow mayor," Schor said, noting the two have worked together through the United States Conference of Mayors. "We get a lot of things done as mayors."
Duggan was asked after his speech about work from home policies and whether he would have closed schools during the pandemic. He largely avoided answering, saying he was focused on the future and hadn't looked into individual state departments.
"People work better when they're on site and can collaborate," he said. "But there are IT talent and creative talent that can do their job from home. I gotta believe, and I haven't asked Mayor Andy Schor about this, but I gotta believe the mayor of Lansing would be happy if they got back in the office."
He said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has appropriately raised the auto industry struggles to the administration of President Donald Trump.
"We're trying to handle it in a calm and thoughtful way and so far, at least, Detroit has not been affected," Duggan said about threatened tariffs.
Whitmer is term-limited and the state will elect a new governor in 2026.
Duggan was the first major candidate to announce. He's since been joined state Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat.
And Genessee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, a Democrat who Duggan said is a friend, is likely to enter the race.
"He's a serious candidate," Duggan said. "He's not a slouch, he's going make this race a lot more interesting than you think."
Several other potential candidates have yet to announce intentions.
The Chamber wanted to bring Duggan because he's an energetic speaker and so members can hear first hand from a governor's candidate, said Steve Jupinga, senior vice president for public affairs for the Chamber.
He said Duggan also spoke to the chamber about a decade ago.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
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