An Independent for Governor.
“I’m not running to be the Democrats’ governor or the Republicans’ governor. I’m running to be your governor.”
The system is the problem.
It's time to fix it.
The system is the problem. It's time to fix it.
Let's face it...
The political parties are trapped in a toxic cycle of brutal elections and battles for a slim majority in Lansing only to have the far right or far left drive the agenda. The only way to change that is to forge a new path where people come before politics, a path that enables us to bridge the divide and work together to deliver results. That’s exactly what Mike Duggan will do as Michigan’s first Independent Governor.
A new approach:
An Independent Governor who knows that Michigan’s problems can only be addressed by building a coalition across party lines.
Seems impossible, doesn't it?
Reducing Us vs. Them politics in this day and age? Yet that’s exactly what Mike Duggan has done as Mayor of Detroit for the last 11 years.
Nowhere in America was Us vs Them politics more toxic than in Detroit when Mike Duggan first ran in 2013. As the city headed to bankruptcy, the political wars were constant. You needed a scorecard to keep track of all the political feuding. And the people of Detroit were left living in neighborhoods blighted with 47,000 abandoned houses and a city with the highest unemployment rate and highest homicide rate in the United States.
When Mike Duggan ran as a write-in in 2013, he held 250 meetings with residents in their homes, learning about the problems and hopes in each neighborhood. And each night he explained his belief that Detroit’s decline could be reversed – but only if we started by letting go of Us vs. Them politics and instead acted together to rebuild the city.
The Results were Dramatic...
Let's put People over Politics.
01
Keep our young people in Michigan.
Michigan is losing our under-30 residents at a higher rate than any other state in America according to the Census Bureau. That isn’t new: Since 1990, Michigan’s population growth has been 49th – ahead of only West Virginia. We need a dramatic change in direction to create an economy where the businesses and jobs of the future are built and located in Michigan.
02
Improve our public school systems.
If our children aren’t reading by 4th grade, they face educational challenges the rest of their lives. Michigan’s 4th grade reading proficiency is 43rd in the U.S. according to the 2023 Midwest Ed Trust report. The ongoing truancy problems across Michigan are causing further declines – our children aren’t learning if they’re not in school.
03
Expand access to affordable housing.
Rising housing prices in many Michigan cities are a huge burden on working families. We need to stop relying on the federal government and create a true Michigan affordable housing strategy to make life affordable for more Michiganders.
MIKE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU
Host a Meet and Greet in Your Community.
Tired of divisive politics? Mike wants to visit your community for a serious conversation about real change.
During his first mayoral campaign, Mike visited nearly 250 Detroit homes, listening to residents’ needs. He told voters the truth about the significant challenges Detroit faced but also the opportunity to build a better future for the city if we put politics aside and worked together. Those meetings and their voices shaped policies that united communities and transformed the city’s future.
He wants to do the same thing again as he runs to be Governor of the state. Bring the conversation to your community, fill out the form to invite Mike to a listening session.