Michigan Tests the Duopoly's Grimy Grip
Against all odds and contrary to the interests of a monopoly Democrats share with Republicans, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running for governor as an independent. Tread carefully, Dems.
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The 2026 Michigan governor’s race will be a major test of the duopoly’s grimy grip on the U.S. political system, as both the Democratic and Republican parties face their greatest fear: Open competition.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced last month he was leaving the Democratic Party to run for governor as an independent. A key leader in Detroit’s resurgence and a product of southeast Michigan’s Democratic machine, Duggan is betting that voters are sick enough of the all-powerful two-party system to support somebody bucking it.
Democrats are pissed. They don’t like competition. For decades, the Democratic Party has joined with the GOP to rig U.S. election laws and engage in competition-shaming rhetoric to protect a wildly unpopular and undemocratic duopoly.
A large and growing share of the public dislikes both political parties. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly three-in-ten Americans (28%) express unfavorable views of both parties, the highest share in three decades of polling. A comparable share of adults (25%) do not feel well-represented by either party.
Furthermore, the political system built and run by the two major parties is loathed by Americans. Just 4% of U.S. adults said the system is working extremely or very well. Sixty-three percent of Americans expressed “not too much” or “no confidence at all” in the future of the U.S. political system.
While skepticism toward politics and government is engrained in the American story, modern voters hold an unrelentingly negative view of politics and elected officials, Pew reports, “with little hope of improvement on the horizon.”
“Majorities say the political process is dominated by special interests, flooded with campaign cash and mired in partisan warfare. Elected officials are widely viewed as self-serving and ineffective,” according to a 2023 Pew study.
After a presidential election in which Democrats nominated the incumbent, Joe Biden, and then turned to a sitting vice president, Kamala Harris, who refused to identify one Biden policy she would change, the Democratic Party bears the stench of status quo. Which is why their poll numbers suck.
A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed that negative views of the Democratic Party outpaced positive ones by 26 points — 31 percent favorable to 57 percent unfavorable. “That’s not only a huge imbalance,” the Washington Post reported, “but also an unprecedented one.”
Duggan hopes to ride the wave of discontent.
“My approach didn't fit comfortably inside the dogma of either of the two political parties,” Duggan said in his announcement video. "The current system forces people to choose sides and not find solutions. I'm going to see if I can change that.”
Democrats aim to kill the messenger.
One candidate for Michigan Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, urged his fellow Democrats to “be willing to punch (Duggan) in the mouth and say exactly who he is." Another, Mark Ludwig, said Duggan “can go straight to hell.” U.S. Rep. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., criticized the mayor for referring to people living in Detroit in violation of immigration laws as “illegal” rather than “undocumented.”
Duggan’s critics are running against the tide of public opinion and giving him a political gift. What better way to appeal to voters sick of the political system than to be criticized by leaders of the political system?
"The more they do it, the more they help me," Duggan told the Detroit Free Press. "I want them to say a lot of bad things about me. And I'm not going to say a bad thing about anybody."
My advice to Michigan Democrats: Stop attacking Duggan, because when you do, voters might think you’re defending an unpopular status quo. They might think your highest priority is not their interests, but rather your interest in protecting the monopoly on elections you share with the GOP.
Nominate a better candidate than Duggan, dear Democrats. Make a better case for change than Duggan does. That is, if you can.
And the same goes for Democratic and Republican elites in Washington: Stop whining about “spoiler” candidates, stop engineering undemocratic two-party elections, and start giving voters what they want: a system far better than the one you’ve built and run for decades.
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That is the hope. I personally think any product is better with competition. If I can walk into a corner store and choose between 12 brands of toothpaste, why must I be forced to choose between just two political parties?
The Founders didn't want this. The people don't want this. We only have a two-party system because the two parties won't open the system to choice.
As always I will render an opinion on political candidates based on their record and I’m certain I will find it a tough choice between Mike Duggan and most likely, Jocelyn Benson.
But at the gate, I’m never comfortable with an unapologetic candidate who uses imprecise language to click the outrage switch, as many republicans do. People aren’t illegal. They may be undocumented and if they commit a crime they are undocumented criminals. Precise language does not offend. It’s civil and respectful which is the direction leaders at all levels of government should be pointing our country.
On another note, as someone who knocks on doors to support state and local candidates, it’s not going to be easy to sell another old white guy when we watched a dynamic trio of women get stuff done for the last 6+years. If Mr. Duggan splits the vote and our state is once again in the hands of a republican in these perilous times, our state social safety net is at risk. For the poor, marginalized, disabled this is life threatening.
Your piece is an interesting exploration of the possibility of an alternate candidate and the need for improved messaging, but here on the ground, Mr. Duggan’s candidacy may in fact hurt the very people he hopes to help. The greater good ultimately influences my vote.