DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has endorsed Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield in the 2025 Detroit mayoral race.
The announcement came on Wednesday at a home on the city's west side
Duggan, who is running for Governor as an independent candidate, is set to complete his third term as Detroit's mayor at the end of this year.
Related Interview: Political analyst Mario Morrow weighs in on endorsement announcement
“For 12 years, Mary Sheffield has been a major force in Detroit’s recovery,” Duggan said in a news release. “She used her leadership on council to make sure every voice was heard and to make sure each program included all Detroiters. She is clearly the most qualified candidate to be the next Mayor of Detroit.”
Sheffield, a member of Detroit's city council since 2013, received the most votes in the August primary. She is facing Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. in the general election this November.
Voters will pick who will succeed Duggan in September.
During the primary, Kinloch received an endorsement from the UAW, calling him a longtime advocate for the working class.
Below is a statement from Kinloch on the endorsement:
“Mayor Mike Duggan doesn't get the right to decide his successor. The voters in Detroit will determine the next Mayor in November.
We don’t have coronations. A mayoral endorsement won’t stop the violence in our streets. It won’t ensure a better education or create more opportunities for our children. After 12 years on the Detroit City Council—and 4 more as Council President—if you haven’t fixed it by now, you’re not going to. Detroit doesn’t need recycled ideas or the same politics that have left too many neighborhoods behind. Detroit needs fresh leadership, with the courage to do what career politicians couldn’t.
This campaign is about voters who want to see investment in neighborhoods, not just Downtown. They want a mayor who will make housing affordable for everyone, a leader who will attack poverty, and someone with a proven record of taking direct action to uplift our communities. We will win this election in the streets—door to door and block by block—to ensure that no one is left out of Detroit’s continued growth.”
Watch our previous interviews with mayoral candidates Mary Sheffield and Solomon Kinloch
