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James Craig's gubernatorial campaign faltered early. (File photo)
James Craig hasn't had much luck running for public office since stepping down as Detroit's police chief in 2021.
First he ran for governor as a Republican and initially seemed to be a real contender. But in 2022, he and four other GOP candidates were bounced from the primary election for not having enough valid ballot signatures because of fraudulent signatures.
Last fall he announced a bid for the U.S. Senate. But his limited funding, and limited chance to win against better funded GOP challengers like ex-Congressmen Mike Rogers and Peter Meijer made the task all the more daunting.
On Tuesday, in an interview with the Detroit News, he said he was suspending his senate campaign, citing the costs of obtaining and verifying the required 15,000 valid petition signatures by the April 23 primary ballot deadline.
He told the News he's considering a run for mayor, which is expected to be a competitive race. Candidates in that race will include City Council President Mary Sheffield.
Mayor Mike Duggan has yet to announce his intentions whether to run for another term in 2025. He's rumored to be considering a bid for governor in 2026.
If that becomes his true intention, he'll have to decide if it is more politically beneficial to be holding office while he runs for governor. If so, he'll run again for mayor and then run for governor while holding office at city hall.
Craig has better name recognition in the city of Detroit than in the state. He also doesn't have to worry about getting an endorsement from ex-President Donald Trump. In fact, in Detroit, that would likely be a liabilty.
Rogers, before announcing his candidacy for senate, rejected Trump's claims that the election was stolen and condemned the Jan. 6 violence.
Now, he's endorsed Trump, something that almost appears necessary to win the Republican primary.
