by
Mike Duggan and Jocelyn Benson
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who plans to run for governor as a Democrat, took a shot at Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan for leaving the Democratic Party to run as an Independent for governor.
"In moments like this, we don't flee from the party, but we stay and fix it," she told Tim Skubick on the political show Off The Record, according to Fox 2. "We need to be firefighters, putting out fires, not running away from things that we see may be on fire."
She went on to say:
"We need to be firefighters in putting out fires and not running away from things we see as possibly on fire."
A spokesperson for the Duggan's campaign issued a response on Wednesday:
"This is why Mayor Duggan is running as an independent. It seems the playbook of partisan candidates these days has only one play: attack your opponents. They may find they need a new playbook this election - we will be declining to participate in the back and forth nonsense.”
Duggan's decision to run as an Independent came as the Democratic party fell short in the presidential election in Michigan and elsewhere in the country where Kamala Harris was considered a contender.
In announcing his run as an Independent, Duggan said:
“I'm not running to be the Democrats' governor or the Republicans' governor. I'm running to be your governor. The political fighting and the nonsense that once held back Detroit is too often what we’re seeing across Michigan today. The current system forces people to choose sides—not find solutions. It’s time to change that."
Benson could face off in the Democratic primary in 2026 against Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
To date, there has not been much talk about a Republican candidate, though the names Mike Rogers and John James have circulated.
