Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday he is suspending his campaign for Michigan governor, citing an increasingly “toxic” political climate due to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran and skyrocketing gas prices.
Duggan, a longtime Democrat, was running as an independent to replace Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who can’t run again due to term limits. He told The Associated Press that it was going to be “very hard to win” as the Democrats who would have supported him are galvanizing against what’s going on in Washington.
“Democrat anger against Trump and Republicans is extremely high,” Duggan said. “In 60 days, there’s been a huge change in the attitudes of this country. People are feeling the pain at the pump and are angry about it.”
An independent has never served as Michigan governor and third-party candidates typically don’t fare well in elections for the state’s top seat. To Duggan, who shunned partisan fighting while choosing to run as an independent, it was clear the odds were stacking against his campaign.
“As long as I knew there was a path for victory, I was going to fight,” he said. “I don’t see a likely path to win.”
