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Mayoral election in Detroit, Michigan (2025)
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Local ballot measures • Municipal • All local elections by county • How to run for office |
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← 2021
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| 2025 Detroit elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: April 22, 2025 July 25, 2025 (primary write-in) October 24, 2025 (general write-in) |
| Primary election: August 5, 2025 General election: November 4, 2025 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2025 |
Solomon Kinloch and Mary Sheffield are running in the nonpartisan election for mayor of Detroit, Michigan, on November 4, 2025. Incumbent mayor Mike Duggan is not running for re-election and is running for governor as an independent in 2026.
Though the position is nonpartisan, Duggan is an independent, formerly affiliated with the Democratic Party.[1] Kinloch and Sheffield are affiliated with the Democratic Party.[2] Detroit's last Republican mayor left office in 1962.[3]
Sheffield received 51% of the vote in the primary to Kinloch's 18%.
The Detroit News' Melissa Nann Burke, Louis Aguilar, and Jennifer Chambers wrote that the primary results set "the stage for voters to select the city's first new mayor in more than a decade to replace Mayor Mike Duggan."[4]
Solomon Kinloch is the pastor of Triumph Church.[5] He is campaigning on his lack of political experience and focusing on his experience as a pastor. He said, "It doesn’t matter how experienced you are if your experiences don’t change the experiences of the people in this city." He added, "When government didn’t show up and do their part, Solomon Kinloch and Triumph Church stood up."[6] Kinloch is also campaigning to address food insecurity, and his website said that his plans for addressing the issue include "funding for strategically placed affordable grocery stores, delivery of medically-tailored meals, and investments in community gardens."[7]
Mary Sheffield is the president of the Detroit City Council.[8] She is campaigning on investing in underserved neighborhoods, saying in her primary election victory speech, "I do believe that our neighborhoods need more investment without a doubt. We are going to elevate issues and ensure that we're bringing more attention to our communities."[4] Sheffield has also campaigned on using community policing, and said she is "very big on community violence intervention programs, and possibly creating an office of gun violence prevention in Detroit. Creating more ways to address the underlying social issues that breed crime in our community."[9]
In an interview with Ballotpedia for the On the Ballot podcast, Detroit News columnist M.L. Elrick said that in the primary, "most of the candidates [said] 'I'm going to keep on running on what [Mike Duggan] did.'"[10] Duggan endorsed Sheffield, and she said of the endorsement: "Over the past decade, we have worked side by side to move our city forward, and I am grateful for his confidence in my leadership."[11] Kinloch criticized Duggan's record in response to the endorsement: "A mayoral endorsement won’t stop the violence in our streets. It won’t ensure a better education or create more opportunities for our children... Detroit doesn’t need recycled ideas or the same politics that have left too many neighborhoods behind."[12]
As of 2025, Detroit does not have term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors serve a four-year term.
This article covers the general election. For more information on the August 5 primary, click the link below:
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Mayor of Detroit
Solomon Kinloch and Mary Sheffield are running in the general election for Mayor of Detroit on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Solomon Kinloch (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Mary Sheffield (Nonpartisan) | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Detroit
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Detroit on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Sheffield (Nonpartisan) | 50.7 | 43,597 |
| ✔ | | Solomon Kinloch (Nonpartisan) | 17.3 | 14,900 |
 | Saunteel Jenkins (Nonpartisan) | 16.0 | 13,738 | |
| Todd Perkins (Nonpartisan) | 5.4 | 4,603 | ||
 | James Craig (Nonpartisan) | 5.2 | 4,458 | |
 | Fred Durhal III (Nonpartisan) | 3.4 | 2,902 | |
 | Jonathan Barlow (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 707 | |
| Danetta Simpson (Nonpartisan) | 0.6 | 538 | ||
 | Joel Haashiim (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 349 | |
| Arnold Boyd (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 42 | ||
| Rogelio Landin (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 10 | ||
| Kristopher Carter (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Joyce Jennings-Fells (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Angelo Brown (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Oneita Jackson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Winnie Imbuchi (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Jeremy Conn (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Lucinda Darrah (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Doris Anderson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Jonny Myles (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Lakeita Norwood-Brown (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 169 | ||
| Total votes: 86,020 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Michigan elections, 2025
August 5, 2025
November 4, 2025
Voting information
Detroit residents can check their registration and find their polling place from the Michigan Voting Information Center.
The following information comes from Michigan's Secretary of State office and Michigan Voting:[13][14]
- September 25, 2025: First day to receive an absentee ballot
- October 6, 2025-November 2, 2025: Early in-person voting
- October 20, 2025: Last day to register to vote online or by mail
- November 3, 2025: Last day for someone to vote in-person with an absentee ballot
- November 4, 2025: Election Day, polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Candidate comparison
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Kinloch graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor at Triumph Church. He served on boards such as the Belle Isle Conservancy and Black Male Educators Alliance.
Show sources
Sources: Bridge Detroit, "Detroit mayoral hopefuls clash over vision, experience at Mackinac debate," May 29, 2025; Click on Detroit, "Triumph Church Reverend Solomon Kinloch, Jr. announces campaign for Detroit mayor," February 20, 2025; Axios, "Detroit mayor's race sit-down: Solomon Kinloch," March 10, 2025; Bridge Detroit, "Pastor Solomon Kinloch announces 2025 bid for Detroit mayor," February 19, 2025
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Detroit City Council (Assumed office: 2014)
Biography: Sheffield received a bachelor's degree in public affairs from Wayne State University and a master's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University. She previously worked as a program specialist for the Wayne County Sherriff's office.
Show sources
Sources: Mary Sheffield 2025 campaign website, "Neighborhood Restoration," accessed July 10, 2025; Axios, "Detroit mayor's race sit-down: Mary Sheffield," January 28, 2025; Mary Sheffield 2025 campaign website, "Social Services Safety Net," accessed July 10, 2025; LinkedIn, "Mary Sheffield," accessed July 10, 2025; Detroit Metro Times, "Mary Sheffield lays out vision for a more equitable Detroit, if she runs for mayor," August 31, 2023
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign advertisements
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Solomon Kinloch
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Solomon Kinloch while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Mary Sheffield
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Mary Sheffield while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election spending
Campaign finance information could be found at the Wayne County Campaign Finance System.
Mayoral partisanship
Detroit has a Democratic mayor. As of September 2025, 66 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 23 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Help inform our readers
Take our candidate survey
- See also: Survey
At Ballotpedia, we believe that everyone deserves meaningful, reliable, trustworthy information about their candidates. We also know that good information—especially at the local level—is hard to find. That's why Ballotpedia created Candidate Connection.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Our survey helps voters better understand how their candidates think about the world and how they intend to govern—information they need to feel confident they're picking the best person for the role.
If you are a candidate, take our survey here. Or you can ask a candidate to take the survey by sharing the link with them.
Submit endorsements
Endorsements can be particularly helpful for voters trying to decide between candidates in local races, which often feature nonpartisan candidates. Endorsements from individuals and organizations can help voters better understand policy differences between candidates in these cases where little or no other news coverage of policy stances exists.
Candidates, share endorsements here. Readers, share endorsements you know about here.
About the city
- See also: Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is a city in Wayne County, Michigan. As of 2020, its population was 639,111.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Detroit uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[15]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Detroit, Michigan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | Michigan | |
| Population | 639,111 | 10,077,331 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 138 | 56,609 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 14.4% | 77.6% |
| Black/African American | 77.1% | 13.6% |
| Asian | 1.9% | 3.2% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
| Other (single race) | N/A | 1.3% |
| Multiple | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.7% | 5.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 81.9% | 91.3% |
| College graduation rate | 16.4% | 30% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $32,498 | $59,234 |
| Persons below poverty level | 33.2% | 13.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
2025 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2025
- Wrightstown Community School District, Wisconsin, elections (2025)
- Mayoral election in Boston, Massachusetts (2025)
See also
| Detroit, Michigan | Michigan | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Associated Press, "Detroit Mayor Duggan, a longtime Democrat, will run for Michigan governor in 2026 as independent," December 4, 2024
- ↑ Detroit One Million, "Democratic rift over corporate influence, Gaza on display at Michigan convention," February 24, 2025
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Detroit mayors all Democrats since 1962," July 28, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Detroit News, "Sheffield, Kinloch to face off in November general election," August 5, 2025
- ↑ Bridge Detroit, "Pastor Solomon Kinloch announces 2025 bid for Detroit mayor," February 19, 2025
- ↑ Bridge Detroit, "Detroit mayoral hopefuls clash over vision, experience at Mackinac debate," May 29, 2025
- ↑ Solomon Kinloch 2025 campaign website, "Raise Healthy Families and Thriving Kids," August 24, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Mary Sheffield," accessed July 9, 2025
- ↑ Axios, "Detroit mayor's race sit-down: Mary Sheffield," January 28, 2025
- ↑ Youtube, "Detroit mayoral primary results: Council President Sheffield dominates nine-candidate field," August 8, 2025
- ↑ CBS News, "Mike Duggan endorses Mary Sheffield in the Detroit mayoral race, calling her "clearly the most qualified," August 20, 2025
- ↑ Click on Detroit, "Mayor Mike Duggan endorses Mary Sheffield, calls her ‘best prepared’ to lead Detroit," August 20, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Elections," accessed August 24, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Voting, "Key Dates," accessed August 24, 2025
- ↑ Detroit City Charter, Sec. 5.101-107 and 4.101-122, accessed August 27, 2014 (dead link)
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