Former Detroit Police Chief Mulls Joining City's Mayoral Race

Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig has taken official steps to be a candidate for Detroit mayor, joining an already competitive race to succeed Mayor Mike Duggan.

The "Chief James Craig for Mayor" exploratory committee was formed earlier this week, according to Wayne County public records. An exploratory committee is one of the first legal steps in declaring a run for office.

Craig is expected to have a Wednesday press conference, according to an email sent from someone connected to his campaign, but didn't provide more detail of the event. Craig didn't respond to requests for comment Friday.

Craig served as Detroit's police chief from 2013 to 2021. In 2022, he ran in the Republican Party primary for governor of Michigan, but was disqualified from the ballot due to false signatures. In 2023, he announced he was running for U.S. Senate, but in 2024 he suspended his campaign.

Craig is the 10th person to form an exploratory committee to run for Detroit mayor. But one of those potential candidates, former House Speaker Joe Tate, D- Detroit, has decided not to run.

Several candidates have already officially declared their candidacies, including Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, former Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Councilman Fred Durhall III and the Rev. Solomon Kinloch.

The August primary will narrow down the candidates to the top two vote-getters, who would then face off in the general election in November.

Duggan, who has been in office since 2014, is not seeking a fourth term. Instead, the longtime Democratic politician is running as an independent candidate for Michigan governor in 2026.

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