Detroit Evening Report: Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig drops bid for U.S. Senate seat
Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” podcast.
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig ended his Republican bid for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan just over four months after launching his campaign.
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is suspending his Republican bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan — just four months after launching his campaign.
Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
Craig announced his candidacy in October, but has had trouble raising enough money to continue his efforts. He was seen as a front-runner for the Michigan gubernatorial race in 2022, but problems with petition signatures kept him off that ballot.
Despite being considered as one of the more high-profile candidates to enter the Senate race, Craig had raised only $60,581 by the end of 2023 — well behind the other candidates.
“This is strictly a business decision,” Craig told the Associated Press by phone. “I’m not leaving because I felt like I didn’t have the support. But from a business end, you need funds to run a campaign.”
Craig also told AP that he is “strongly considering” running in Detroit’s mayoral election next year.
Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow announced early last year that she was not running for re-election, which opened up a seat in the key battleground state. Republicans seeking that party’s nomination include former Congressmen Peter Meijer and Mike Rogers, and businessman Sandy Pensler.
Hill Harper, Nasser Beydoun and Elissa Slotkin are among the Democrats running for the office. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in Michigan since 1994.
The primary election takes place in early August.
Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
Other headlines for Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024:
- The 2024 presidential race is heating up across the state, with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both making visits to Michigan ahead of this month’s primary election on Feb. 27.
- Detroit’s casinos brought in $94.4 million in revenue last month, down about 9% from January 2023.
- An official says a fake Certificate of Votes was submitted to the U.S. Senate following Michigan’s 2020 presidential election. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged 15 Republicans in the case.
- Wayne State University is urging students and applicants to file their Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) forms as soon as possible.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
