Chuck Todd: Is the rise of the independents coming? An experiment is brewing in a key battleground
While most of Washington is obsessed with either the reality show that is President-elect Donald Trump's transition or the hand-wringing and blame-gaming over Democrats' election loss, a potentially critical political storyline is brewing in Michigan.
While most of Washington is obsessed with either the reality show that is President-elect Donald Trump's transition or the hand-wringing and blame-gaming over Democrats' election loss, a potentially critical political storyline is brewing in Michigan.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan shocked the Michigan political world by announcing he would run for governor in 2026 — but not as a Democrat, the party in which he’s been an active and prominent member of for 40 years. Instead, he will seek the office as an independent, avoiding a potentially crowded and divisive Democratic primary.
The list of Democrats who could seek to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer isn’t short on prominent names: state Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Duggan all appeared to be the three leading candidates for some time, quietly preparing for their runs throughout 2024.
I witnessed this firsthand at last summer’s Mackinac Policy Conference, a yearly gathering of Michigan's political elite. There was some internal bellyaching from some Democrats, which I picked up on during my time in Michigan, who thought Duggan’s son — the lead strategist for the Biden-then-Harris campaign in Michigan — was using his role in 2024 to help lay the groundwork for his dad’s 2026 campaign. So to say Michigan Democrats were shocked by the mayor's decision to go independent is a bit of understatement.
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