Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is campaigning. But not his.
The three-term mayor, who is a potential Democratic governor contender for Michigan, realizes the importance of his mostly Black city’s support for Vice President Kamala Harris in November’s presidential race.
Harris is scheduled to visit Duggan on Monday as part of a Labor Day calendar of events by the Democrat and her running companion, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Most mayors are elected on party lines and have policies that reflect city voters. In the top 20 US cities by population, only Dallas and Fort Worth have Republican mayors.
Mayors “know what’s at stake,” said Columbus, Ohio, Democrat Andrew J. Ginther, who is “all in for the vice president.”
Duggan prioritizes electing Harris and Walz.
Harris and Republican contender former President Donald Trump are running in Michigan, a competitive state where Trump won by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2016 and lost to President Joe Biden by around 150,000 votes in 2020.
The city clerk expects over 50% of registered voters to vote in the general election in Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, a Democratic stronghold.
Duggan supported Harris when Biden dropped out of the presidential race. Harris’ team reported 15,000 attendees at a Detroit rally in August. Trump later falsely claimed an image of thousands of rallygoers waiting at the airport was created by AI.
Janice Winfrey, Detroit’s city clerk, estimated 55% of registered voters may vote in November. Winfrey stated 51% of registered voters voted for Obama when he initially ran for president.
“Everybody wants to be involved,” Winfrey said, adding that Duggan’s voter outreach included supporting a 40% budget hike.
Mayors court present and potential presidents for more than popularity. Cities use millions in federal funds on infrastructure and police employment.
“We need to get things done,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors president Ginther. There’s no Republican or Democrat approach to picking up trash, plowing roadways, or keeping people safe. Housing is an important platform. This is the biggest challenge facing mayors nationwide, whether Donald Trump or the vice president wins.”
Investing $1 billion over five years, Detroit has built over 4,600 affordable housing units. Federal, state, and city monies supported those initiatives.
“Every mayor makes their own decision,” Duggan said. “The cities have done enormously well under Biden/Harris.”
The Trump administration gave Detroit $706.5 million in federal grants. Duggan’s office said Biden’s administration has given the city about $2 billion.
The American Rescue Plan, approved by Biden in 2021 to aid state, local, and tribal governments, “probably accelerated Detroit’s recovery by 10 years,” Duggan said.
A manager selected by Michigan’s then-Republican governor a decade ago guided the city into and out of the greatest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, despite its massive debt and budget shortfalls. Under Duggan, the city’s finances have stabilized and budget surpluses are common.
“What the American Rescue Plan did was give us the ability to rebuild our cities faster,” Duggan. “When Donald Trump ran for president he promised big infrastructure but never delivered on any of it.”
Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of the organization Center for Popular Democracy, advises mayors, Democrat and Republican, to prioritize the housing crisis.
“I think that what we’re going to see is not only mayors doing the thing that is right and is smart in terms of engaging their constituents and informing them of what’s in their best interest,” Mejia.
Mesa, Arizona, Mayor John Giles also hopes voters will vote for Harris. Republican Giles, who dislikes Trump, was one of numerous GOP leaders who supported Harris during last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Giles said he’s had more communication with Biden than Trump since Trump works more with governors.
“Around election time, it does seem mayors get more engaged in partisan politics than we normally do,” he added. “We want good relations with the new administration. It benefits our cities.”
However, Republican Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson disagrees. The former Democrat told Milwaukee Republican National Convention attendees in July that he wants to assist put Trump back in the White House, citing the GOP’s tough crime policy.
Kwame Kilpatrick, who served five years in the Michigan state House and seven years as Detroit’s mayor, said all mayors want White House access.
Kilpatrick served more than seven years of a 28-year federal corruption sentence as mayor. After Trump commuted his sentence in 2021, Kilpatrick became a political consultant. Kilpatrick, a lifelong Democrat, will run as an independent to support Trump’s reelection.
“Mayors rarely have to call Washington for anything, but when they do, they want to access government in Washington,” said Kilpatrick, who resigned as Detroit’s mayor in 2008 amid a text-messaging sex scandal.
