DETROIT – Former prosecutor and hospital executive Mike Duggan is back in the Detroit mayoral race as a write-in candidate.
During a press conference Friday, Duggan said support for his campaign has been overwhelming -- despite two court rulings that he had violated a residency requirement and therefore wouldn't be on the August primary ballot.
Duggan said he was moved by the depth of encouragement and passion from supporters that he felt compelled to return the favor and continue to work toward his goal of helping Detroit.
Duggan said he was saddened by the fact that the city was continuing to struggle by a lack of leadership and control of its government and schools.
"We've got to have a mayor who can move the EM out and transition back to elected leadership," he said.
Duggan and his staff demonstrated how to correctly fill in a name on a ballot -- print it and then fill in the oval.
What happened
Two courts have said Duggan doesn't qualify for the ballot because he submitted petitions less than a year after becoming a registered voter in the city, a violation of the Detroit City Charter. He moved to Detroit from Livonia, a suburb, in 2012.
A three-member panel of the state Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that removed him from the ballot.
Duggan said it never occurred to him "in my wildest dreams" that he could be kicked off the ballot for turning in signatures too early. He submitted petitions on April 2, 10 days short of the anniversary of his voter registration.
Duggan actually had even more time to submit petitions because the deadline to sign up for mayoral primary was May 14.
His place on the ballot was challenged by another candidate, Tom Barrow, who has run for mayor many times and lost. Other candidates include Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon and former Detroit city attorney Krystal Crittendon.