Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan Announces He Won’t Seek Reelection

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced on Wednesday that the coming year will be his last in office as he won’t be seeking reelection.
At a packed City Hall event on Wednesday, Duggan addressed a crowd of hundreds, reaffirming his commitment to Detroit as his tenure nears its end in January 2026.
“Being your mayor has been the honor of a lifetime,” Duggan told city employees and supporters.
Declining to discuss his future political plans, he told The Associated Press, “I’m going to talk about what’s next later,” adding that this week he was “going to focus on the city and people in the city.”
Duggan took office in 2014, leading Detroit from a precarious position in U.S. history’s largest municipal bankruptcy.
He inherited a city with over 47,000 abandoned homes, a staggering debt and severe budget deficits. Under his administration, Detroit’s economy began a steady climb, violent crime decreased and some neighborhoods saw improvements.
“Today, we have 3,000 abandoned homes,” Duggan said. “I want to get as close to gone as I can over the next year.”
“I feel like I did what I set out to do,” Duggan told The AP on Tuesday. “I was born here. I grew up here. I watched the decline and I felt like I could help. Today, we’re in a very different place in the city. I think it’s time for the next mayor to take the recovery further and faster.”
“People in this city have just been enormously kind and supportive,” he added. “That’s the part that I’m going to miss.”
Though Duggan’s time in office has been marked by challenges, his achievements are resonating. Property values have increased across Detroit, and a historic population decline appears to be reversing, with the Census Bureau noting a modest rise last year.
Duggan celebrated this milestone as a testament to the city’s resurgence.
“I set out in the beginning to say my goal was to have Detroit growing in population,” he said. “You got more people moving in than moving out for the first time since 1957.”
Duggan’s Detroit renaissance extends beyond numbers. His leadership during events like the NFL draft, which attracted record crowds downtown, and his collaboration with city employees through periods of fiscal hardship have drawn accolades.
While Duggan has yet to disclose his future political plans, his announcement has sparked speculation that he may set his sights on a gubernatorial bid as Michigan’s Democratic Governor as Gretchen Whitmer approaches the end of her term limits.
Meanwhile, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who last year formed a committee to explore a run for mayor, described Duggan’s announcement as “powerful” and “bittersweet.”
“I came in at the same time the mayor came in…and, without a doubt, we may not have always agreed and had the same approach to challenges and solutions, but he has left an indelible mark on this city,” Sheffield said. “His leadership will be missed.”
In addition, former Council President Saunteel Jenkins also launched an exploratory committee for mayor.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.