Duggan makes a show of the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference amid undercurrent of political tension

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2 days ago

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan speaks to the Lansing Economic Club during an event in East Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 6, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
MACKINAC ISLAND – After a long Memorial Day weekend, politicians, business professionals, lobbyists and public service workers traveled to Mackinac Island for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual Mackinac Policy Conference, with political division intersecting at almost all points with policy goals throughout the three day event.
The conference typically features a host of panel discussions centered on economic development, education, housing, and politics at a state, national and international scale, and this year was no different as panelists pointed to concerns with Michigan's lagging approach to education, outlined the impact of uncertainty on tariff policies and federal funding and pointed to opportunities to build up the state's efforts in the manufacturing and technology sector.
While some lawmakers came together for civil discussions in line with the conference's motif of civility and bipartisanship, political divides served as a backdrop throughout the conference, as the split Michigan Legislature remained concerned about the state budget and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan took pot shots at politicians over partisan bickering.
Although members of Michigan's Congressional Delegation touted their ability to work together on issues affecting Michigan – like getting a new mission for Selfridge Air Force Base or protecting the Great Lakes from invasive species – the relationship among state legislative leaders was a bit more frosty.
During an annual reception ostensibly highlighting civility, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, House Speaker Matt Hall, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt and House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri spent a tense hour that served as the four leaders' first meeting as a group debating the merits of each party's strategy to negotiating legislation.
The back-and-forth between legislative leaders was just one example of what Duggan, who is running for governor as an independent, criticized as a broken system.
Another example: The Democratic Governors Association began running a digital ad attacking Duggan, who was a member of their party until last year, claiming he has a 'long, corruption-riddled history,' just one day after Duggan spoke about the Democratic and Republican parties relying on attack ads to win their elections.
Duggan told the Michigan Advance that Democrats 'are nothing if not predictable' after the ad campaign was announced.
'They hate Republicans in general, and they hate Donald Trump in particular,' Duggan said. 'But today, I've gotten them to broaden their platform; now they hate me, too.'
'Once again, after facing the tiniest bit of scrutiny, Mike Duggan resorted to another temper tantrum by immediately lying and comparing himself to Donald Trump,' DGA Spokesperson Sam Newton said in a statement after the Michigan Advance published Duggan's response to the ad. 'Well, he's right about one thing: both Duggan and Trump are corrupt and wrong for Michigan.'
Although some panels confronted Trump's blunt-edged approach to diplomacy, federal funding and tariffs head on, U.S. Ambassador to Canada and former Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra offered an optimistic vision for the two countries' relationship, saying they could become a global powerhouse on energy and manufacturing if they're able to mend fences that have been stressed since Trump took office in January, proposing to implement punishing tariffs and speculating about making the sovereign nation a 51st state.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel criticized the business-as-usual approach she felt attendees were taking in their usual networking and lobbying efforts as the President works to expand his power and reshape the federal government.
'I look around the Grand Hotel and, you know, the Mackinac policy conference, and there's this sense that everything is normal and that everything is the same as it's ever been, and people are negotiating with each other for different sorts of policies they want to see implemented. And yet, I don't think they understand that anything can be undercut by the federal administration at any time,' Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told the Michigan Advance on Wednesday.
Nessel has helped file 17 different cases against the Trump Administration, challenging several policy changes including Trump's executive order excluding certain newborns from birthright citizenship.
While several candidates for governor and U.S. Senate were present at the conference — with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the early favorite for Democrats, making it a stop on her book tour — none got quite as much attention as Duggan, who was shown to be pulling equal amounts of support from Democrats and Republicans in a poll released last Tuesday.
Duggan delivered a keynote address Wednesday and participated in a conversation with Rocket Mortgage founder and philanthropist Dan Gilbert on Thursday.
Speaking on another panel Thursday afternoon, April Ryan, White House Correspondent for The Grio, underscored Duggan's arguments about partisan politics, telling Fox 2 Detroit Anchor Roop Raj Duggan's polling shows 'the system is broken.'
'Certain groups felt, that are now in power — now I'm going to say it — They felt like they weren't heard. And the problem is we have to find a way to get everyone under the umbrella. If you get this person, I'm not going to be heard. If you get that person, I'm not — it's such a polar opposite, and the system is broken,' Ryan said. 'We've got to find a way to fix it. That's why independents are on the rise, and people are listening, because people don't feel heard. People want to feel seen.'
However, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who launched a Democratic bid for governor in March, took the helm for several announcements, including more than $107 million to support infrastructure workforce development, $769,000 in grants to support programs aimed at reversing population decline in the state, and a $3.5 billion commitment from the state's largest energy companies — DTE Energy and Consumers Energy — to purchase technology, equipment and services from Michigan-based businesses in support of the state's energy manufacturing sector.
Notably absent from the conference: U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.), who declared his candidacy for governor in April. Polling points to James as the early favorite among Republicans, compared to former Attorney General Mike Cox and Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, who are also pursuing the Republican nomination.
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Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, left, and state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, right, discuss Senate Democrats' priorities during a panel in the lobby of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the first night of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 27, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Howard Crawford, left, Matt Elliott, center, and Mona Hanna, right, speaks at a panel about the impact of cutting federal funds for higher education research during the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 27, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
State Sens. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), center, and Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), right, joined Skillman Foundation President and CEO Angelique Power, left, to discuss Michigan's education system during the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference. May 28, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson
Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau President Claude Molinari, left, Pistons Sports and Entertainment Vice Chairman Arn Tellem, center, and Detroit Sports Commission Executive Director Marty Dobek, right, participate in a panel during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, a Democratic candidate for governor, on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democratic candidate for governor, is interviewed by the Michigan Advance on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, a Democratic candidate for governor, speaks during a press conference on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Former Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, left, and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., right, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan state Rep. Joseph Aragona, R-Clinton Twp., discusses cryptocurrency policies in the lobby of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the first day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 27, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra speaks on the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall holds a press conference on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Former Gov. Rick Snyder on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivers a keynote address during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivers a keynote address during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Skillman Foundation President and CEO Angelique Power and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) at the Mackinac Policy Conference's Women in Leadership panel on May 28, 2025. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) at the Mackinac Policy Conference's Women in Leadership panel on May 28, 2025. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, left, and Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation Executive Director John Gutierrez, right, discuss Michigan's role in America's defense industry during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers a keynote address during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers a keynote address during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, left, is interviewed by Michigan Advance reporter Kyle Davidson, right, during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
MIGOP Chairman state Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, center, and state Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, right, discuss the future of the Michigan Republican Party Chad Livengood of The Detroit News during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, a candidate for U.S. Senate, on the porch of the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Mich., during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, in the lobby of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Reps. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, Bill Huizenga, R-Walker, and Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, discuss bipartisanship during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, speaks during a panel with bipartisan members of Congress during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Walker, speaks during a panel with bipartisan members of Congress during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, speaks during a panel with bipartisan members of Congress during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, speaks during a panel with bipartisan members of Congress during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, right, speaks with Dan Gilbert, left, during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., left, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., participates in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, participates in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, participates in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)