Photo credit: City of Detroit
Bridge Detroit
July 14, 2025
Malachi Barrett
The Detroit Regional Chamber’s Political Action Committee and another nonprofit group hope to launch mayoral candidate Fred Durhal III into a competitive position in the Aug. 5 primary race.
Related | Detroit Regional Chamber PAC Endorses Fred Durhal in Detroit Mayoral Primary
The Detroit Regional Chamber PAC named Durhal “the most consistent supporter of a pro-growth and pro-economic development agenda” in a statement, arguing the Detroit City Council member and former state lawmaker can best fill Mayor Mike Duggan’s shoes. Durhal’s campaign, which has lagged behind in polls, can expect donations to follow. The PAC said in a statement that it hopes to propel Durhal into a competitive spot in the nine-way race.
“This is a strong organization built from many members of the business community who have played a vital role in Detroit’s resurgence,” Durhal said over text. “They believe, like I do, that we will build a Detroit that is for families again. The type of Detroit that includes more job creation, stronger neighborhoods, better commercial corridors, safer communities, and a brighter future full of opportunity for all residents.”
The PAC contributed $70,501 to Duggan over the years and gave another $20,000 to political groups that supported Duggan’s campaigns. It’s unclear how the endorsement affects Durhal’s fundraising in the final push before the primary.
The next round of campaign finance disclosures are due June 26. Past disclosures show the business advocacy group made donations in the month before previous primary races.
Durhal is also being boosted by Coalition for Detroit’s Growth, a nonprofit group formed in February by an attorney that formed similar pro-Duggan political committees.
The Coalition for Detroit’s Growth reserved $52,300 in television ads promoting Durhal in July and August, according to Federal Communications Commission disclosures. It also paid for billboards stating Durhal is “working for the best for Detroit.”
Durhal has promoted himself as a steady hand to take over after Duggan.
“We’re that Phoenix that has been rising from the ashes,” he said during a May 29 debate hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber. “We’ve got to make sure that it doesn’t fly into the window.”
Business groups are starting to throw their weight around after largely sitting on the sidelines throughout the primary. Durhal has been an “unapologetic” supporter of using tax breaks and other economic incentives to spur business investment.
Durhal was endorsed by a two-thirds majority of members as required by Detroit Regional Chamber PAC bylaws. He was among five candidates invited to debate at the Mackinac Policy Conference in May and interviewed by PAC members in July.
During the debate, Durhal outlined a plan to eliminate the city’s 19.5 mill operating millage by raising taxes on speculators and cracking down on blight violations. Durhal promotes cutting red tape for small businesses and says experience working in the state and local government, and relationships with lawmakers, are distinguishing factors.
Durhal wants to expand the boundary of the Downtown Development Authority to capture and redirect tax revenue toward housing and business projects. He’s proposed putting an avenue of fashion in every council district through commercial corridor overlays that would generate new investment.
Durhal has said businesses need a predictable environment to invest in the city. He’s called for reforming the community benefits process so developers aren’t asked to add neighborhood investments after negotiating with residents.
The Detroit Regional PAC has donated to Durhal’s mayoral opponents in the past. The Detroit Regional Chamber gave Council President Mary Sheffield $1,000 in 2023 and former City Council president and nonprofit Chief Executive Officer Saunteel Jenkins $500 in 2013.
Sheffield continues to pick up labor endorsements after holding a rally with several union groups last weekend. She was endorsed by Teamsters Joint Council #43 and the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council on Monday.
Sheffield is the leading candidate across polls taken independently and by rival campaigns.
Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. was endorsed Monday by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 925. His campaign said Kinloch was endorsed by the people who run Detroit.