Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig suspends GOP Senate bid, eyes mayoral race

Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Tuesday night he is suspending his campaign for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat and is instead eyeing a possible run for Detroit mayor next year.

Craig, a Republican candidate who made a name for himself as a conservative commentator and for his stint as the police chief of Michigan's largest city, told the Free Press funding was a major reason for his decision and that he did not feel as though he had the support of enough donors to continue.

Specifically, he said that he did not want a repeat of his 2022 campaign for governor, which saw him knocked off the Republican primary ballot for failing to turn in enough valid signatures supporting his candidacy. He said he had lined up a reputable firm to gather the up-to-30,000 signatures he needed to make the Aug. 6 primary ballot for the Senate race but it would have cost some $350,000 that his campaign did not have.

"I had to make a business decision," he said. "Many of the donors that invest in candidates wanted to know if I was going to get on the ballot given what happened in the last cycle. Priority one was getting signatures that were validated."

Craig's decision comes about two weeks after his campaign reported anemic fundraising, even though several polls done in the race indicated he had a strong position in the Republican field and possibly led it, given his name recognition. At the end of 2023, his campaign showed he had raised just $60,581 and had less than $29,000 left in his coffers for a race that is guaranteed to cost millions.

Some other Republican candidates were in much better shape financially: Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, of Brighton, who had nailed down much of the institutional support in Michigan and in Washington, D.C., ended the year with nearly $1.9 million in contributions and had some $946,000 cash left going forward. Two other candidates — former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids Township, and Grosse Pointe businessman Sandy Pensler — are independently wealthy and have to worry far less about raising contributions to continue their campaigns.

Pensler, for instance, reported raising just a little more than $1 million by year's end but has given all but $1,300 of it to himself.

Craig said he was "extremely grateful" to the volunteers who worked on his campaign but added that "at some point, we've got to pay these folks." While other candidates have been able to self-fund their campaigns, he said, he was unable to do that. And in an oblique reference to Rogers, he said, "The political donor class — D.C. folks — they made a decision as to who they wanted as their candidate. Does that affect fundraising? Absolutely.

"That said, I was still the leading candidate," he said. "I'm not looking at this as a failure because it's not. ... It begs the question why should the donor class dictate who should be the nominee."

Craig said he expects to endorse one of the other candidates. Meanwhile, Rogers' campaign put out a statement praising Craig's experience and calling him "a true son of Detroit who built a long and distinguished career in law enforcement that brought real change, safety and security to his hometown."

"He made a real difference for the community and his dedication to public safety is respected throughout southeast Michigan and America," Rogers said. "I hope that he will continue to be engaged and I will seek his counsel on how we can work together to bring a brighter and safer future for all Michiganders.”

Craig waited until October to enter the race for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who announced in early 2023 that she would not run for a fifth 6-year term. That set off a stampede of candidates eager to take the soon-to-be-open seat, with a dozen Republicans entering the field. But Craig was considered a strong candidate from the beginning, largely on the strength of his name recognition.

The Democratic field is smaller, dominated by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, along with Detroit actor Hill Harper and Dearborn businessman Nasser Beydoun.

Craig acknowledged that he's looking at running for Detroit mayor, saying, "Over the last 60 days, I've been approached by Detroit residents, city workers, police officers … who have said we'd rather see you run for mayor next year. … I'm exploring it."

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat, has not yet said if he plans to run for a fourth term.

Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig suspends GOP Senate bid