Duggan: People Ought Not To Waste Vote Voting For Me As A Write-In

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 10/19/2026) (DETROIT) – Former gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan advised residents against putting him down as a write-in candidate, saying, "People ought not to waste their vote voting for me." He also doesn't feel like he needs to make any endorsements ahead of Nov. 3.

"It won't count because I didn't fill out the certificate, so they don't count … unless you file a certificate asking (them) to be counted," Duggan said, later noting, "Folks stop me on the street every day and say, 'I wish you were still in.' And I say, 'Unfortunately, there were only 23% of you that felt that way,' and I don't think that would have changed."

Duggan spoke to reporters in Detroit today, following a press conference opposing this year's ballot question to call for a state constitutional convention (Con-Con).

When asked if he wants to make any endorsements ahead of Election Day, Duggan said he thinks "it's obvious the way things are going," doubting his endorsement would influence anything. But he did feel that voicing his opposition to the Con-Con today was important.

Asked if he anticipates a blue wave this fall, Duggan described folks becoming "viscerally angry" as President Donald Trump went to war with Iran and gas prices hit $5 per gallon.

"Every place I go, I have never seen the depth of anger, and I think the thing that ought to concern Republicans the most is that independents are just so angry that you're going to see the outcome," Duggan said.

Duggan suspended his independent campaign for governor before Memorial Day weekend, citing challenges in building a national fundraising network and internal polling showing Democrats worried he would tip the election in Republicans' favor.

"Someday somebody is going to succeed as an independent or third-party candidate, but that's not the mood of the country this year," he said.

Among those intending to write in Duggan's name is Jimmy Greene, a Saginaw-based policy and political consultant. Greene worked closely with "free market" Republicans when he was president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan from 2020 through spring 2023.

"I don't think the reason we became Duggan supporters has gone away," Greene said. "Maybe even in a loss, this becomes a ground game or a stimulus or a motivation for something going into '28. Maybe it provides some sort of momentum for somebody to break free of either the Republican or Democratic side."

He wondered if the remaining Duggan base could inspire more independent campaigns on a smaller scale, like for local office or state representative.

Greene said he has spoken to others with the same plans to vote for Duggan as a write-in, saying "I'm not going to speak for anyone, but I know I'm not alone in that thought."

He added that there are center-right independents who were Republicans and "are literally salivating at the idea of ridding the party of those MAGA Republicans." With Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers and nominee for governor John James (R-Shelby Township) still boosting their ties to Trump, Greene suggested that could be another reason center-right voters avoid Republican candidates on the ballot this fall.

"They want their party back. That's the reason why they're independent. Those center-right Republicans are independents because they're running away from Trump. Do you really think they're going to vote for people supported by Trump?" Greene said.

As of today, local clerks have received 683,346 absentee ballots, equivalent to 9.2% of the state’s active registered voters, according to the Department of State.

Where Do Would-Have-Been Duggan Voters Go In The U.S. Senate Race?

MIRS raised another question following today's interactions: where do would-have-been Duggan voters go in the U.S. Senate race?

Duggan said he's not in the business of predicting, but is fascinated by how many of his friends’ adult children are urging them to vote for progressive Abdul El-Sayed.

"There's a whole generational debate going on, and there's an engagement of younger people, and it's going to be really interesting to see how it plays out," Duggan said.

When asked what it's like to see people who used to work for him now running for statewide office, Duggan said, "We laugh." El-Sayed worked as Detroit's health officer for nearly two years, Democratic attorney general nominee Eli Savit was the city of Detroit's senior lawyer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Democrats' secretary of state candidate, was Detroit's innovation director.

"The cabinet meetings in 2016 included Garlin Gilchrist, Abdul El-Sayed and Eli Savit, and so there was a whole lot of talent that came through our administration, which is how we turned the city around," Duggan said. "We only judged you on if you could do your job, and we enjoyed the debates."

He said it was "actually kind of enjoyable" to see El-Sayed debating former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who later tried running for governor as a Republican in 2022.

When asked where pro-Duggan voters go in the U.S. Senate race, Greene predicted they'll be turned off by Republicans' attempts to link El-Sayed to terrorist organizations and other controversial Middle Eastern groups.

"I certainly don't think the independents are going to be moved by xenophobia," Greene said. "I think Republicans made a terrible mistake pushing this xenophobia because independents don't like to feel nasty in their votes. They don't like to operate from a position of prejudice … I think running those ads, as opposed to talking about the economic extremism of Abdul, I think, if he wins, it'll be because of that."