'Let the games begin': Political analysts say name recognition, street cred could shape Detroit mayoral race
Detroit — At least nine candidates are competing to be Detroit's next mayor after they turned in their nomination petitions for the Aug. 5 primary ballot, with a couple of high-profile hopefuls given the best chance by political experts of gaining an early advantage to make the general election ballot in November.
Two current Detroit City Council members, along with a former council president, a former police chief, a renowned Detroit minister and an attorney, are among those who submitted nominating petitions by Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline. Now their petition signatures will be vetted and certified to qualify for the primary ballot with the minimum 500 valid signatures.
"Let the games begin," said Mario Morrow, a Southfield-based political consultant. "Of course, the candidates with high-name recognition and who are solid fundraisers should be considered front-runners. But at this stage, hope is eternal. Some candidate with solid street cred can make an impact at this point."
The hopefuls with the best chances to be the top two vote-getters in the primary and vie for mayor in November are City Council President Mary Sheffield and the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., said Morrow, adding they so far have the best political organizations and the most solid bases of support.
Among the other candidates are former City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, former Police Chief James Craig, City Councilman Fred Durhal III and attorney Todd Perkins. Among the lesser-known hopefuls are community organizer Jonathan Barlow, retired businessman Joel Haashiim and Dean Evans.
Adolph Mongo, another longtime Detroit political consultant, had previously identified Sheffield as an early front-runner because she has grown into a "seasoned, capable politician" whose District 5 constituents have grown to love her.
The mayor's race is particularly competitive this year because three-term Mayor Mike Duggan is leaving office to run for governor of Michigan as an independent. So candidates can't take their initial name recognition for granted and need to work hard to create a platform of policies that resonate with voters, an organization to get supporters to the polls and raise money, Morrow said.
"This is anybody's race," he said. "You have to convince the people you are the chosen one."
Mongo agreed that, at this early stage, a perceived long-shot candidate can become a contender.
"You got a buffet of candidates right now," Mongo said. "Whoever can get their message out to the community and get their name out there — and if voters remember their names — they got a shot at this point."
More than 100 Detroiters requested petition forms, which are the official documents candidates must fill out with signatures of registered voters to get on the ballot. Election officials provided a list that showed 32 people requested forms to run for mayor. Others are vying to run for various other offices, including city clerk, council and police commissioner.
Election officials, as well as several candidates, said it takes around two weeks for officials to determine if a potential candidate has gathered a sufficient number of valid signatures from registered voters. The validity of the signatures can be challenged by a third party.
Candidates with council ties
At least three candidates who submitted petitions have Detroit City Council ties.
Sheffield, who has already been certified for the primary ballot, was one of the first candidates to turn in her nominating petitions. Sheffield is a fourth-generation Detroiter from a family of civil rights advocates, including her father, the Rev. Horace Sheffield III.
Sheffield, who has been on the council for 11 years, said a lot of Detroiters feel like the city's prosperity since emerging from bankruptcy protection has not reached its neighborhoods.
"And a lot of people don't feel a part of the growth, and that's something that we have to work on," Sheffield told The Detroit News in December. "And I'm looking forward to building on the growth and the momentum that we've worked so hard to create and ensuring that it does expand to more people, to more residents and to more businesses throughout the city of Detroit."
Sheffield's political organization and base of supporters give her a good chance at finishing among the top two vote-getters in the primary, Morrow said.
Jenkins, a social worker who was elected twice to the council and was a chief of staff to former City Council President Maryann Mahaffey, turned in 1,000 signatures on April 15.
"The response across the city to our growing campaign is encouraging," Jenkins said in an email. "People are showing up, getting involved and doing the work because they understand we are built for this — making Detroit a better place for everyone."
Jenkins left the council in 2014 to lead The Heat And Warmth Fund, a nonprofit that serves low-income individuals with their utility bills, added that she is the only candidate who has won two citywide elections and "is the most qualified person running." She is campaigning on her mix of deep community roots and political experience. She describes her platform as being "rooted in equity, safety and opportunity for all."
But Morrow said Jenkins has some ground to make up.
"Jenkins has a lot of work to do and doesn't have the organizational team to make it happen," Morrow said.
Durhal, who represents District 7 and has been on the council since 2021, said Detroiters have told him they are "a bit antsy" as he campaigns.
Many Detroit voters "want to know that the next leader is going to be one who can continue to deliver what we have, but someone who will be indicative of continued growth with their experienced leadership," Durhal said.
Durhal pointed out he is the only mayoral candidate who has been elected as a state legislator and as a representative of city government. He is a former two-term State House representative for the 5th District, which covers most of southwest Detroit.
But Morrow said one of Durhal's weaknesses is he isn't well-known outside of his district.
At the last fundraising deadline of Jan. 31, Sheffield had raised the most money, with $467,000 accumulated. Jenkins had raised $173,000 by the end of December, while Durhal had raised $112,000. Other candidates hadn't declared their exploratory committees or filed campaign finance information.
Potential outsider hopefuls
Kinloch Jr., who is the pastor of Detroit-based Triumph Church, is considered a front-runner because he has a base of more than 40,000 members in his church, Morrow said.
Kinloch has made creating more affordable housing a key issue if he's elected. He's also campaigning on an agenda that addresses a "tale of two cities," a phrase that refers to the wealthier downtown and the neighborhoods. It is also a phrase that Duggan has argued is fiction and doesn't apply to the city.
"It’s time for that to change," Kinloch said in a Monday email. "Detroit is at a crossroads. Despite the progress of the last decade, we have to be honest that the revitalization of our city hasn’t included everyone."
Kinloch has an opportunity to resonate with voters because he is an outsider, Morrow said.
"He is not a politician, and people are tired of politicians running things," Morrow said.
Craig, who was police chief for nearly eight years and left in June 2021, previously ran as a Republican for Michigan governor, but he was among five GOP hopefuls for governor who didn't make the primary ballot because of thousands of fraudulent signatures submitted by petition circulators. Several people were later charged in connection with the fraudulent signatures.
Craig said he has taken a "much more hands-on approach" to gathering signatures for the mayor's race.
Detroit is a Democratic stronghold, which dims the chances of a Republican reaching the general election. The last publicly known Republican to hold elected office in the city was City Council member Keith Butler, who served one four-year term and didn't run for reelection in the early 1990s.
"I feel very good about the response I'm getting from voters," Craig said Monday after formally launching his campaign last month.
"I'm out there doing something daily, and so many people are open to listening. And I'm listening to them," he said.
But Morrow said Craig, who was born and raised in Detroit, hasn't shown signs of creating a solid political organization and seems more consumed with himself.
"James Craig is about James Craig," said Morrow, dismissing his chances in the primary.
Other candidates
Barlow and Haashiim are the two other candidates besides Sheffield who have already been certified to be on the primary ballot.
Barlow, 40, an entrepreneur, venture capitalist and community organizer, turned in his signatures last month, and they have been verified, he said Monday. In 2017, he played a major role in the ballot initiative that legalized the medical marijuana industry in Detroit.
Barlow said there is not enough emphasis on young people, as well as supporting families, by other candidates. On the campaign trail, he's highlighting his business acumen and community organizing.
"I've watched Mike Duggan all my life," said Barlow, a native Detroiter. "I want to double down on his results."
Haashiim is a retired Detroit businessman who has said in various media interviews that there is too much corporate influence in city government. He couldn't be reached Tuesday for comment.
Todd Perkins, 55, a longtime attorney and civil rights advocate, turned in 3,000 signatures Monday afternoon. He called it "an affirmation that people want change and we are going to give it to them."
"I'm a kid from U of D high school and I believe in the Jesuit tradition of men for others," he said, referring to the University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
Perkins' mayoral bid is his first run for office. He said he is undaunted by candidates who have extensive political records.
"Those individuals were making promises when they were at the helm … and now they're promising to do something they didn't do already," Perkins said.
Dean Evans, a native west side Detroiter, 40, turned in 865 signatures this week, he said. Evans works in criminal justice, and his campaign has a major focus on "making people feel safe."
"I've been getting a strong response," said Evans, a first-time candidate.
"What matters is people see you out in the community and you have an understanding of what they are going through," he said.
Morrow said these candidates haven't yet shown the ability to form a political organization and create a solid base of support.
Late Tuesday, Rogelio Landin said he plans to run as a write-in candidate. Landin has a long history of being involved in Latino civil rights groups in southwest Detroit. He is president of the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC.
He has advocated for the city to take steps to annex 28 Metro Detroit communities so Detroit will once again have 1 million residents.
"There is one word that encapsulates what everyone wants to do. And that word is: More," Landin told The News earlier this year. "How do we get more? My answer to all of that is annexation. It's how Detroit was built."
The only write-in candidate in recent Detroit history to make it out of the mayoral primary was Duggan in 2013, but the former Wayne County prosecutor and ex-deputy county executive raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and had the support of the corporate community.
laguilar@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 'Let the games begin': Political analysts say name recognition, street cred could shape Detroit mayoral race
