Duggan: Can't Imagine Running For Elected Office Again, Izzo Talked To Him About MSU

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 09/01/2026) Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who suspended his independent campaign for governor in May, said on WJR Radio that he "can't imagine" ever running for elected office again. He added that he spoke to long-time Michigan State University (MSU) basketball coach Tom Izzo when the university was seeking a new president.

Duggan appeared on the "Focus with Paul Smith" midday show, discussing his new role as a partner at Honigman Law Firm in Downtown Detroit. He said he starts his new job next Tuesday.

In response to broadcaster Paul Smith asking if he talked about possibly becoming the University of Michigan's new president, Duggan said:

"I had preliminary conversations with a lot of different people, including with Tom Izzo about Michigan State. I had lots of conversations about lots of jobs, but when it came down to it, Sonia and I just felt like with all the years I'd put into the city of Detroit, I wanted to stay here. I wanted to enjoy this city," Duggan said.

Duggan said most days in Detroit, his car never leaves the parking structure, with him walking to Tigers' baseball games and Downtown to meet friends for dinner. His wife, Sonia, works up the street at Wayne State University.

"I spent a lot of years making an effort to rebuild this city and I just want to have a period of my life where I can enjoy it," he said. "And Honigman's been downtown for 75 years. They're a Detroit institution. Everybody else left. They doubled down and stayed in the city…when they came forward, it just (seemed) like such a good fit. From the very first meeting, I felt like I was at home."

As for Michigan State and the University of Michigan, MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz reversed his decision to leave the institution in mid-July, following conversations with former Govs. James Blanchard and Engler, as well as Izzo.

The U of M Board of Regents approved C. Cybele Raver as the university's new president. Raver, the recent provost at Vanderbilt University, is set to earn $2 million annually in her first five-year contract.

Former U of M President Santa Ono was hired with a base salary of $975,000, not including other benefits, in 2022.

MIRS explored the question of how Duggan would be doing if he did not suspend his gubernatorial campaign in May. Saginaw area political consultant Jimmy Greene, who previously was president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, said the thread of Duggan supporters has gotten larger since he dropped out, not smaller.

Gerald Hills, a professor at U of M's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, predicted that Duggan's presence on the ballot “may well have elected John James (R-Shelby Township),” even if James, the U.S. House member and Republican nominee for governor, pulled only 40% of November's vote.