Detroit elections 2025: City Council, mayoral races take shape

Candidates for Detroit City Council and Detroit mayor engaged voters at the Michigan Democratic Party convention.

Detroit mayoral candidates: Detroit City Council president Mary Sheffield, councilman Fred Durhal III, nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins and Triumph Church pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. Photos: Samuel Robinson

City council and Detroit mayoral candidates brought volunteers to help make their case to Detroit voters at the state Democratic Party convention on Saturday.

The race for mayor is heating up after last week.

Former House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, announced Friday he wouldn’t run to lead the city of Detroit after all. He formed a campaign committee last year before he said was exploratory.

“We went through the exploratory process and decided it just wasn’t the right time,” Tate told me at the convention.

The Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. made a splash turning out thousands of supporters at a campaign kick-off event last Wednesday at Fox Theatre. Kinloch and his wife were greeted at the convention by a crowd of campaign volunteers, many who told me they were members at Triumph Church, where he leads service at multiple Detroit-area locations each Sunday.

Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. and his wife Robin Kinloch pose in front of volunteers for his campaign inside the Renaissance Center Feb. 22.

Volunteers for city council president Mary Sheffield came in full force to make their presence felt throughout the convention. The Sheffield campaign invited supporters via email earlier last week, offering volunteers free transportation and t-shirts.

Volunteers for Sheffield and Kinloch, the two largest groups of supporters at the RenCen, converged upon Sheffield’s arrival, making for this fun and friendly shout-off:

I caught up with THAW president and mayoral candidate Saunteel Jenkins, who raised concerns about the two children who died in a vehicle inside a casino parking lot earlier this month.

Saunteel Jenkins offers a hug after talking to supporter at the convention.

“It does not matter whose fault it is, it’s everyone’s responsibility. We’ve known for a long time the system does not work properly,” she said. “We have to have a more comprehensive and thoughtful approach to find long term solutions.”

Attorney Todd Perkins, who announced last month he is running for mayor, told me he would continue the city’s momentum if elected.

“Given my experience, there’s no one who can accomplish what I believe that I can accomplish on behalf of the city,” he said.

Attorney and Detroit mayoral candidate Todd Perkins.

Perkins came with several young men and boys volunteering for his campaign, each of whom were greeted by gubernatorial candidate Sheriff Chris Swanson ahead of remarks from the mayoral candidates.

City councilman and former state Rep. Fred Durhal III, who represents District 7 covering the city’s west side, says he would bring Democratic values he was raised with to the mayor’s office if elected, but has experience working with everyone to continue the city’s momentum.

“You want to be able to bring the core Democratic values, but you still want to be able to bring everybody together,” Durhal told me. “We’re going to make Detroit a city for everyone, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican.”

Former business executive Joel Haashiim and entrepreneur Jonathan Barlow are also running for Detroit mayor to replace Mike Duggan, who is not seeking reelection for a fourth term. Duggan is running for Michigan governor as an independent.

Keep reading to learn who’s running for city council: