Mike Duggan, the former Democratic mayor of Detroit who was running for Michigan governor as an independent, dropped out of the race on Thursday, saying he had fallen behind in fund-raising and support.
Mr. Duggan was the first major candidate to enter the race for governor in Michigan, a closely divided state, and had been initially seen as a long-shot but also a plausible contender to replace Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Ms. Whitmer has served two terms as governor but is barred by term limits from running again.
“We knew the independent route was filled with challenge,” Mr. Duggan said in a letter to supporters on Thursday. “Even against those odds, the excitement for real change carried this campaign upward for more than a year.”
A poll sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber released last week showed Mr. Duggan 11 points behind Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan secretary of state. And the fund-raising outlook as an independent was grim: “As generous as our Michigan donors have been, we will be strongly outspent by the national Republican and Democratic parties this fall,” Mr. Duggan said.
The departure of Mr. Duggan, who gained acclaim for reinvigorating Michigan’s most populous city after it underwent the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy in 2013, is expected to benefit Ms. Benson, the front-runner. Representative John James of Michigan and Perry Johnson, a businessman, are both vying for the Republican nomination.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
