Mike Duggan: Unity is Needed For Michigan to Succeed 

• In a time when the United States has never been more divided, Duggan focuses on uniting people by focusing on their shared goals rather than their differing opinions. 

• Partisanship and near-constantly changing policy have negatively impacted Michigan’s education system over the past two decades. 

• For data centers to have public buy-in, developers need to agree to equitable standards and expectations and provide hyper-local education to for communities they seek to lay ground in. 

View the full session recording below.

Having made a name for himself as the past mayor of Detroit, bringing the city back from bankruptcy, current Independent Gubernatorial Candidate for Michigan, Mike Duggan, spoke with the Detroit Regional Chamber’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Sandy K. Baruah, about the inspiration behind his bid for governor and hot-button topics that Michigan’s next leader will need to address.  

In July, the Detroit Regional Chamber Political Action Committee endorsed Mike Duggan for the 2026 Michigan gubernatorial election, making it the first business organization to do so. Learn more.

Having led Detroit with the philosophy to break the “us vs. them” mentality, Duggan was able to unite people across demographics, fueled by the need to make a difference in his constituents’ lives. 

From this came his idea of an affordable housing community that he brought before Lansing, which failed due to political posturing. This later inspired him to join the gubernatorial race and combat partisan politics by running as an Independent, citing that data from Gallup found that 45% consider themselves Independent, an “all-time high.”

Michigan’s education system has experienced a dramatic shift over the past two decades. Having once ranked among the top 20 states in the nation, Michigan now finds itself near the bottom. Duggan noted that this decline is indicative of “u-turns” in policymaking every two years between Republicans and Democrats, making it nearly impossible for schools to implement long-term solutions or maintain stability.

“Why should [your company] go to a state that doesn’t have a stable, long-term plan when you can go elsewhere? I think that’s what’s hurting us,” Duggan said.

Duggan’s path forward is clear – putting aside partisanship to focus on what’s at stake – Michigan’s future. He calls for the state to set consistent standards and focus on strategies proven to work, rather than being swayed by political cycles, to address the education decline and the workforce in tandem.

An issue at the forefront of voters’ minds approaching 2026’s election season is data centers.

Met with staunch public opposition, there are undoubtedly both positive and negative economic implications to whether or not ground is broken. From the skilled trades required to build the facilities, to data engineers needed to maintain day-to-day operations, the promise of economic growth is apparent – something that both political and business leaders agree is needed as Michigan seeks  Innovation. 

Consistent feedback against data centers moving into the state includes the harm to natural resources and the up-front tax breaks used to attract data centers, rooted in a lack of transparency.

“There’s all kinds of anxiety and a lack of engagement in the process,” Duggan said. “I am going to show them the benefits and promise of protection [to the land]. I’m going to set the standards in these local communities and stand with them shoulder-to-shoulder as they can decide for themselves if whether or not they want to host those centers.”

Duggan noted that data centers should not even be considered unless they meet three standards he outlined, including that these data centers are responsible for 100% of their energy consumption, implement a closed-loop water system and water refrigeration, and provide community-centric support.

This session was sponsored by Rocket.