By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's calculated silence on the assassination of Charlie Kirk is sickening, and totally unacceptable.
Duggan, running for Governor as an Independent, was the only candidate in the race who didn't issue a response to his public execution last month in Utah.
I certainly understand not wanting to rush right into a tragedy, instead waiting for the facts to come in, being respectful of the situation---so I waited patiently for Duggan's statement. Spoiler alert: the statement never came!
I guarantee you a statement was drafted, just not released. Why?
Politically speaking, it was quite shocking to see Duggan miss a key moment to make inroads with Republicans, the group of voters he struggles with the most according to poll numbers.
If Duggan thinks he can win on just "moderates," he better wake the hell up quickly: the only way Duggan can get to that magic ~40% number is if he picks off some Trump Republican voters, especially in rural areas---his operation in the cities and suburbs alone might get him close, but won't be enough to deliver Duggan the win.
I have followed Mike Duggan for nearly 15 years, since I first heard he was going to be running for Mayor.
His historic write in campaign after getting thrown off the ballot was immensely impressive.
Though Detroit still has a long ways to go, especially outside of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, anyone who has spent some time there the last decade has seen firsthand how successful many of Duggan's efforts have been. Rick Snyder laid the foundation with the bankruptcy, and Duggan has built greatly on that. (I still won't be going to a Detroit gas station anytime soon, though.)
To be totally honest, I really like the idea of a TRUE Independent Governor coming to Lansing, and giving a giant middle finger to both parties after decades of their BS.
And the political nerd in me loves ruminating on just how historic an Independent campaign with a candidate who has Duggan's political acumen, name ID, and financial backing could turn out---we've never seen anything like it in Michigan history.
But is Mr. Duggan truly Independent?
He says he left the Democrat Party because they became too extreme, I can believe that.
After all, Donald Trump was a Manhattan Democrat. Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood Democrat.
Some of our best leaders in the Republican Party right now---Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Director Of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for instance---are former Democrats.
I was at least willing to give him a chance to be heard.
However, the only logical conclusion is that Duggan and his team purposefully calculated that a statement about Charlie might cost him support with some of the same members of the radical left that are allegedly why he left the party in the first place: What other reason could there possibly be? Sorry, Mike: that dog don't hunt.
Like Fleetwood Mac said, "if you don't love me now, you wilI never love me again." If Duggan doesn't value Conservatives enough to bother even pretending to care right now as he's trying to earn votes, why the hell would he start magically caring about us in January 2027?
I was very "Duggan Curious." And I still have a lot of respect for Duggan's leadership skills, and political IQ.
If "Jumpin' John James" or Kevin Rinke hijacks the Republican nomination, I'll take another look, but right now, I'm swiping left on Mike Duggan.
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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com
