Will Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel Run for Governor in 2018?

Hackel told the Detroit News last week there was a “better than a 50-50” chance he’ll join the gubernatorial race.

Laura Weber Davis/WDET

The Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference is a place for possible statewide candidates to test the waters.

With the governor’s office, a U.S. Senate seat, and other major positions up for election next year, this year’s conference buzzed with chatter about the 2018 election.

One person who is often talked about as a possible candidate for governor is Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.

Hackel is a Democrat who often bucks party stances, and who has sometimes refused to endorse Democratic candidates for office, once giving his endorsement to a Republican

He formed an exploratory committee to run for governor in the 2010 race, but decided instead to run for county executive.

He told the Detroit News on Mackinac Island last week that there was a “better than a 50-50” chance he’ll enter the gubernatorial race by mid-summer.

But he walks that back a bit as he joins Detroit Today producer Jake Neher for a conversation about the race, the political climate, and regional transit in Metro Detroit.

“I still have more of an interest in doing what I’m currently doing,” says Hackel.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.

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  • Detroit Today
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