Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will not seek reelection to a fourth term, setting up a major political shift in Michigan’s largest city. 

Duggan, first elected in 2013 as Detroit’s 75th mayor, thanked city leaders and employees for their efforts and support at the Erma Henderson auditorium on Wednesday. He outlined a vision for his final year in office, committing to staying focused on sustaining the city’s progress, expanding neighborhood opportunities and attracting young talent.

“Detroit’s story of resurgence is one of Detroiters who never gave up on their city,” Duggan said in a statement provided to BridgeDetroit before Wednesday’s event. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as mayor over the past 12 years and I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together—from emerging out of bankruptcy to becoming a vibrant, healthy city that is a model of resilience and transformation. This last year is about continuing the work we started and ensuring Detroit’s success remains rooted in opportunity for everyone.”

The mayor’s decision to leave office after his term expires in 2025 clears the field for an open race to succeed him. Several figures have already expressed interest in running, including Council President Mary Sheffield, Council Member Fred Durhal III, nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins and businessman Joel Haashiim. Other potential candidates include Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr. and former Police Chief James Craig. 

Democratic officials expect Duggan, 66, will launch a campaign for Michigan governor later this year. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot run again due to term limits. Voters won’t decide on her replacement until 2026.

Duggan said he’s ready to step aside for two key reasons: The city has a deep bench of qualified leaders who are ready to take over, and he achieved a goal of reversing a long trend of population decline. U.S. Census Bureau estimates showed the city grew by 1,852 people from 2022 to 2023, though there are fewer residents than when Duggan took office. 

“I stood here in January of 2014 and said I want to be judged by one thing – is the population of the city going up, or is it going down?” Duggan said. “A lot of people said ‘that’s crazy. Don’t do that.’ But I didn’t actually run to fix street lights and pave roads. I wanted to change the direction of this city.” 

Detroit’s mayor is a nonpartisan position, though Duggan has been a lifelong Democrat. He became the city’s first white mayor since 1974 by unconventional means but voters overwhelmingly supported his leadership in subsequent elections.

He was removed from the ballot in 2013 after a court ruled he had not been registered as a Detroit resident long enough. Duggan opted to run as a write-in candidate in the primary, led the field with 52% of the vote and went on to beat Benny Napoleon in a head-to-head general election with 55% of the vote. 

Duggan reflected on his first campaign Wednesday, saying his experience meeting with voters in living room meetings across the city in 2013 fundamentally changed him. 

“Most times I was the only white face in the room, and I talked to people across generations – they didn’t want to talk so much about the city, they wanted to tell me their story,” Duggan said. “What did they wanted to talk about was, could somebody who looked like me really understand their pain and their history and really support their aspirations? They were the most powerful meetings I’ve ever been in.” 

Duggan was reelected in 2017, beating current City Council Member Coleman Young II with 72% of the vote. He secured a third term in 2021 by beating Anthony Adams with 75% of the vote.

“Being a big city mayor is kind of rough in this country; I watched my fellow mayors in San Francisco and Minneapolis and Chicago get voted out after their first terms,” Duggan said. “I watched mayors in Nashville, Atlanta just leave after their first terms. But for 11 years, the people of the city have been kind and supportive in every neighborhood I’m in, every church I’m in, every store I’m in, it has been truly remarkable.” 

Duggan is a former Wayne County prosecutor, deputy county executive, former CEO of Detroit Medical Center and former Livonia resident.

As mayor, Duggan has been metrics-oriented. His administration holds regular celebrations to recognize hitting milestones for new streetlights, fire hydrants and affordable housing units, demolished buildings, cleared-out alleys and other targets. The so-called political “pit bull” is described as demanding by employees. 

Former Chief Operating Officer Brad Dick said Duggan once called him in the evening to ask why trash wasn’t being picked up. Dick said Duggan had been driving neighborhoods at night to inspect how well a service change was working. 

“Some leaders don’t get out in the field that much but he’s in the operation,” Dick said. “You don’t like letting Mike Duggan down.” 

Duggan took office five months after Detroit’s bankruptcy was filed, while a state-appointed emergency manager was overseeing the city’s restructuring. Duggan touted the city’s  transformation from bankruptcy to financial stability, boasting $500 million in reserves today and an investment-grade credit rating. 

The mayor also thanked city employees for their sacrifices during the bankruptcy era. 

“I spoke to employees in this room exactly 12 years ago, after the election, and the feelings were a little different,” Duggan said. “You took 10% wage cuts. You had your health care cut, your pension cut … I asked you then to hang with us. You stayed, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.”

Detroit went from having the worst priority one EMS response times in the country to the best in the nation. The number of violent crimes has reached a historic low in 2023 and continued to drop this year, though shootings and homicides remain high when adjusted for population. 

Early supporters like Rev. Jim Holley, former Police Chief Ike McKinnon and activist Malik Shabazz pitched Duggan as a crisis manager. Shabazz embraced Duggan after his remarks on Wednesday. 

Duggan shouted out allies like Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, businessmen Dan Gilbert, Bill Ford, Roger Penske, Gary Torgow and the Ilitch family. 

Progress made, work undone 

A decade after taking office, Duggan argues he’s made significant progress to stabilize the city and take neighborhoods “from blight to beauty.”

The mayor oversaw a significant campaign to demolish vacant buildings. A decade ago, Detroit was given a dire recommendation by an Obama administration task force to “eradicate the blight.” Led by billionaire Dan Gilbert, a 2014 task force found 30% of buildings in neighborhoods across the city were dilapidated or heading that way. 

The complete elimination of dangerous structures was pitched as an essential step toward the city’s resurgence. At least 40,000 crumbling buildings would need to come down. What followed was heralded as the largest demolition program in the country. 

When Duggan took office, the city was burdened with 47,000 vacant, abandoned homes. Today, 3,000 remain. 

“My goal was to ensure Detroit’s next mayor has a strong foundation that enables the city to thrive for generations to come,” Duggan said in a statement. “We came into a city in bankruptcy and are leaving behind a city with an investment-grade credit rating and $500 million in financial reserves. I am confident the next Mayor and City Council will take Detroit to even greater heights.”  

Sheffield, a possible mayoral candidate, said Duggan has been a “steadfast advocate for Detroit during a critical era,” and oversaw new economic development, improved city services and the revitalization of neighborhoods.

“While we have at times approached the city’s challenges from different perspectives, I have always respected Mayor Duggan’s dedication and his drive to make Detroit a better place for all who call it home,” Sheffield said in a statement. “His contributions to the city’s progress will be remembered as a chapter marked by resilience, growth, and the collective effort to move Detroit forward.” 

Duggan said he’s focused on bringing young people to Detroit and Michigan. New investments from the University of Michigan, Henry Ford Health, Michigan State University and Ford Motor Co. are expected to create new opportunities, and Duggan said the city is working on building affordable housing to meet the need.  

“We’re losing more young people than any other state,” Duggan said. “The jobs of the future have to be located here … I don’t think Detroit is going to compete with Silicon Valley. We should be able to compete with Chicago and Columbus.” 

Political dynamics shift in 2025 

Durhal, a City Council member exploring a run for mayor in 2025, said Duggan’s plan to step aside after his term ends was “probably one of the worst-kept secrets in Detroit.” 

“This is on a new page. We’ll see a continuation of our city’s growth, maintaining what we have and ensuring we don’t lose the momentum,” Durhal said. “The next mayor of Detroit has to bring folks together.”

Durhal appeared to take to heart a piece of advice that Duggan gave to his possible successors. 

“No us versus them politics,” Duggan said. “You have to unite people. You’ve got to have courage to say to people what you can’t do. Detroit got into bankruptcy because we had years of mayors and councils who, when people came in and protested, spent money they didn’t have.” 

Duggan said he has no plans to endorse any candidates so far, but may do so in the future.

“I think you’re going to see four or five outstanding candidates in the race, and I’m going to wait and see,” he said. “I don’t think all the names have surfaced yet. For right now, I’m going to be like all the other Detroiters and decide who I’m going to vote for, and then maybe next year, if I feel strongly enough (I’ll endorse one).” 

Duggan’s mayoral campaign committee reported little activity this year, another early sign that Duggan wouldn’t run for reelection.

Duggan collected only four donations throughout the year. Two donors contributed most of the funding, including $6,600 from Rush Trucking CEO Andra Rush in January and a $1,000 gift from the Michigan Distributors and Vendors Association PAC in October. 

Duggan’s fundraising committee has $25,383 remaining, according to an October filing. Duggan meanwhile spent $21,000 in campaign funds this year on consultants, campaign software, legal fees and other expenses. 

Whomever replaces him will inherit a more stable and prosperous city, Duggan said. 

“I am very confident in our city’s future,” he said.