In a significant upset in Michigan politics, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a lifelong Democrat with an 84% approval rating, is quitting the party to run as an independent for Michigan governor in a desperate attempt to replace Gretchen Whitmer, an unpopular Democrat.
For context, he blasted the Democrats for fixating on anti-Republican attacks like “cancel your hot lunches” instead of positive proposals on housing and mental health. Already polling at 26%, Duggan urges candidates to reject partisan tones. However, Politics professor Christopher Galdieri sees it as a rebranding to escape the damaged Democratic label after the 2024 election losses.
In any case, making his announcement, he said that he was intent on “upending” the system and giving Michigan voters “a new choice: a governor who didn’t run as a candidate of either party, but who went to work every day with no goal except to get people to work together for all of Michigan.”
Slaming the swamp, he argued that “both parties’ messaging is to make you hate the other party more.” Adding to the last line, Duggan claimed, “It turns out that no matter where you go in this state, people are angry at both parties.”
Specifically, he called out woke DNC arguments. The Detroit mayor said, “Everything the Democrats have to say is terrible about Republicans. Republicans want to cancel your hot lunches. Republicans want to cut your health care. Republicans can’t be trusted.’”
Addressing the party directly, he gave them a path out of woke nonsense and back to common sense. “I am waiting for the Democratic Party to step forward and say, ‘Here’s our affordable housing proposal. Here’s our mental health treatment proposal.’ It’s just been so frustrating to watch the Democratic Party lose its way,” Mr. Duggan explained.
Wrapping up his comments, he said that he wanted to “run against the negative partisan tone of their parties.” However, despite distancing himself from the party, Duggan is still far to the left on many vital issues, such as immigration, making him unideal as a candidate in that it will be difficult for conservatives to get behind him.
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For example, the mayor made it clear he was still woke in response to his previous comments. He noted, “Our policy on immigration has not changed in the entire time I’ve been here, which is that the Detroit police do not enforce federal immigration laws.”
Reacting to this dramatic shift, Christopher Galdieri, a professor sought to privide an explanation .“He might just figure it’s better to create your own brand, one that isn’t associated with 2024 and inflation and all the rest of it. You need to bridge from that to something else, some other, more positive message,” Galdieri noted.
Watch Duggan comment on turning away from the Democrats here:
Duggan is far from the only politician to abandon the Democrats. As the American Tribune reported, “Democrat Kentucky State Sen. Robin Webb switched to the Republican Party, citing the Democratic Party’s dramatic shift to the left and abandonment of rural voters.
Explaining her decision, Webb asserted, “The Democratic Party left me.” Building on this point, she announced, “The Kentucky Democratic Party has increasingly alienated lifelong rural Democrats like myself by failing to support the issues that matter most to rural Kentuckians.”
Continuing with that point, she explained that she can’t both represent her constituents and keep working with the Democrats. “It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat,” the courageous state senator announced, adding, “My core values have not changed, just the letter next to my name.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video