Unofficial results say that Adam Alharbi beat Muhith Mahmood in Hamtramck’s mayoral race by 11 votes in Tuesday’s election—but officials say the race isn’t over.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
“Letters are sent to the voters so that they know that they have until this Friday, 5 o’clock, to correct the ballot. Since the race was so close with just 11 votes difference, with 150 ballots pending to be corrected, it’s really anybody’s race at this point.”
Faraj said after voters correct their ballots at city hall, it could take up to a month for the ballots to be certified by Wayne County.
Even after all ballots are accounted for, there is still a possibility for a re-count.
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Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
Voters across Michigan wrapped up a midterm election yesterday that, for many, began weeks earlier during the state’s early voting window. For voters with physical disabilities, the right to cast a ballot is protected in state law and under federal protections like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Help America Vote Act.
On the heels of the midterm election, The Metro team wondered: What did access for disabled voters look like during early voting and on Election Day?
Eric Welsby, policy and advocacy lead at Detroit Disability Power, joined Robyn Vincent to discuss the persistent barriers he observed, and what can be done about it.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Dearborn voters have elected Mayor Abdullah Hammoud for a second term.
Hammoud won with more than 70% of the votes in his bid against challenger Nagi Almudhegi.
He told a crowd of about 250 people at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center Tuesday night that the city is built on coexistence across faiths, backgrounds, and political views.
Crowd at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
“To our Arab American community, to our Polish, Irish, and Italian American families, to every new neighbor and every long time resident, white, Black or brown, to every faith and every background, Dearborn is a place where you are seen, where you are valued, and where you belong.”
Sparks fly in celebration of Hammoud’s win in the 2025 mayoral election in Dearborn
Hammoud became the city’s first Arab American and Muslim mayor in 2021 after mobilizing volunteers for clean-up efforts from catastrophic floods.
Hammoud ran on a bid to continue the work he started four years ago. He said, “The way to win re-election campaigns is to treat people with dignity, to meet them in their homes and in their communities, listen to their needs, and deliver change that their families can see and can feel. That’s what we’re doing in Dearborn.”
Also in Dearborn, voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to create a ward system for districted city council seats.
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
In Northwest Detroit, District 7 went to Denzel McCampbell.
He defeated Democratic Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett, who angered many in her party by caucusing with Republicans during last year’s lame duck session.
McCampbell is a former communications director for Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and a Democratic Socialist. He says his message resonates with Detroit voters.
“When we’re talking about delivering on basic needs, making sure that folks can have housing, that they can have food on the table in there, and have what they need to thrive, I think that’s what this moment is about, and we have to make sure that we not only build on it, but work together to deliver on that as well.”
McCampbell says he has a good relationship with Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield after working with her on the Detroit charter commission.
“When I was on the charter Commission, we worked on the Detroiter Bill of Rights, and I really look forward to meeting and coming together on how we can really make sure we’re serving our neighborhoods and really delivering for our neighborhoods, especially in District 7.”
McCampbell is now the second Democratic Socialist on city council after Gabriela Santiago-Romero won re-election.
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mary Sheffield won the race for Detroit mayor on Tuesday, defeating Solomon Kinloch Jr. to become the first woman elected to lead the city.
Sheffield, the Detroit City Council president, received more than 50% of the vote in August’s all-party municipal primary. The office is officially nonpartisan.
Sheffield will succeed three-term incumbent Mike Duggan, who did not seek reelection. The Associated Press declared Sheffield the winner at 9:12 p.m. EST.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
In Oakland County, we’re tracking key mayoral races, as well as a proposal for a Novi school bond and a Troy millage. We’ll provide updates as votes are counted below.
Listed alphabetically.
Last updated: Nov. 4, 2025 at 11:10 p.m. ET
Precincts reporting: 234/284
Clawson
Farmington Hills
Hazel Park
Madison Heights
Pontiac
Royal Oak
Southfield
Walled Lake
Also on the ballot
Novi Community School District bond proposal ballot language: “Shall Novi Community School District borrow the sum of not to exceed $425,000,000?”
Troy bond proposal ballot language: “Shall the City of Troy borrow the principal amount of not to exceed $137,000,000?”
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
In Macomb County, we’re tracking key mayoral races and proposed charter amendment that would allow the mayor to make interim appointments in Warren. We’ll provide updates as votes are counted below.
Listed alphabetically.
Last updated: Nov. 5, 2025 at 9:01 a.m. ET
Precincts reporting: 153/153
Mount Clemons
New Baltimore
Sterling Heights
Also on the ballot
If this proposal passes, Warren’s mayor would be able to make appointments or extend appointments of existing city staff for up to six months with city council approval.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
In Wayne County, we’re tracking mayoral races and a Dearborn proposal to create wards to elect city council members from certain district boundaries, which may provide more representation. We’ll provide updates as votes are counted below.
Listed alphabetically.
Last updated: Nov. 5, 2025 at 10:02 a.m. ET
Precincts reporting: 587/587
Dearborn
Dearborn Prop 1: “Proposed charter amendments to provide for a wards system of government for the legislative body”
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is an 11-member civilian oversight organization broken into 7 districts. Most candidates are running unopposed in their district or did not make the primary.
City Clerk
Incumbent Janice Winfrey is running unopposed in the November general election.
Community Advisory Councils
Only three of Detroit’s seven City Council districts have Community Advisory Councils: District 4, District 5 and District 7. No candidates met the deadline to submit signatures to get on the Aug. 5 primary ballot.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
City Council President Mary Sheffield is running for Mayor, leaving District 5 open for new representation for the first time in more than a decade.
District 5 police Commissioner Willie Burton and UAW retiree Renata Miller are facing each other for the seat.
Burton’s campaign
Willie Burton was the youngest police commissioner in the U.S. when he took his seat in 2014. Before his election, he served for two years on the Detroit Public Schools Police and Public Safety Oversight Committee and then as Director of Community Relations for Wayne County Commissioner Martha Scott.
Burton’s campaign website calls for improving public transit, lowering water rates, and pushing for more affordable housing.
But Burton says his biggest concern is improving mental health support and services in the city. He says if he wins, he plans to hold a mental health symposium within his first 100 days in office.
“Our community has to be educated as well when it comes to crisis intervention training, which is Mental Health First Aid, as well as training our officers,” Burton said. “So we have our officers as trained, which is one thing, but our community has zero training. The business partnerships in the city has zero training.”
Burton says he wants to see Detroit receive a state-of-the-art triage center and social workers with more boots on the ground to help with issues from domestic violence to homelessness.
Miller’s campaign
Renata Miller is a UAW retiree. She is a founder of the Detroit Historic District Alliance and a community ambassador to the Detroit Opera House. Miller has served as president, vice president, and membership chair of the Historic Indian Village Association. She is also the program director of the Lawn Academy, an organization that teaches environmental stewardship and provides job training to youth in Detroit.
Miller’s campaign page says she is committed to protecting Detroit’s historic neighborhoods—advocating for community-led development, and ensuring government transparency.
Miller also advocates for more jobs in the city, quality affordable housing, and improved safety in the neighborhoods.
At a candidate meet and greet event hosted by the community group and podcast Detroit is Different, Miller said the best way to serve the public is to meet with the public.
“You have to get out to your residence,” Miller said. “You’re not, you shouldn’t even act or move without coming to the community. They know what they want, and they know what they desire for their neighborhood. Some of them have plans that you will never think about, but if you don’t engage with them or talk with them, you’ll never know what the desire is.”
Controversial candidates
Both Miller and Burton have faced criticism in the media. The Detroit Free Press described the race for District 5 as an “unenviable choice” for its residents, as both candidates have had their fair share of legal issues in the past.
Burton was arrested during a Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting in 2019, where the Detroit police department’s controversial use of facial recognition was being discussed. The board chair had Burton removed after warning multiple times that he was out of order. Burton was handcuffed, but not charged.
Renata Miller’s record includes a 2001 bankruptcy filing, multiple lawsuits with Southfield and Bloomfield Hills landlords, and a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction in 2003.
Political analyst Mario Morrow says it’s in both candidates’ interests to speak up about their faults.
“Before they take the seat, they need to go out here and campaign hard and admit their flaws. Then, when they get into the seat, say, ‘We won’t make those mistakes again, and we’re going to do better by our constituents, ’” Morrow said.
Morrow says the issues that most affect residents in District 5 are the same for the rest of the city, so the next council member in the seat needs to be able be dependable.
“It doesn’t matter who the mayor is, the city council has a big role to play, even though it’s a strong merit mayoral endorsed government. People are really concerned about the future of the city, and… people are fearful of change, and this change over is causing a lot of confusion, especially in District 5,” Morrow said.
*After multiple attempts by WDET, Renata Miller declined to be interviewed.
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
On Nov. 4, Dearborn residents will vote for mayor of the city. Current mayor Abdullah Hammoud is running for a second term against political newcomer, independent Nagi Almudhegi.
Dearborn voters elected the city’s first Arab American Muslim mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, in 2021.
“It’s my hope that we’ve demonstrated that we have been able to make progress over these last four years, and we’re running for another term to continue on that progress,” he says.
Hammoud says during his nearly four years in office, crime has dropped significantly, and he’s helped bring in $100 million in grants to improve the city.
During his campaign in 2021, he organized volunteers to clean homes devastated by catastrophic floods. He says residents are still concerned about flooding.
“Each and every single time it rains, if it’s a heavy rain event, people are texting anxiously, asking what has been done to help prevent flooding and back up into people’s basements,” he says.
The city has invested $25 million in capturing rainwater in short-term projects, hoping to attract another $400 million for long-term projects.
Machhadie Assi is a community organizer and political strategist. She says flooding caused by poor infrastructure concerns her.
“The Mayor and his team, they’ve been working tirelessly on improving it and developing it. I’m sure we’re not at a point where it’s perfect, but there’s definitely progress,” she shares.
Machhadie Assi at the ArabCon in Dearborn.
Assi is raising her three kids in Dearborn. She says she’s voting for Hammoud.
“They’ve been always transparent on what they’re doing and what they’re working on and what’s in progress,” she says.
Assi says it’s a way to keep the administration accountable.
Resident Maryam Hoballah says she appreciates Hammoud’s focus on creating more green spaces in the city.
“I have two young kids, and I just love that he’s renovating the parks, and he’s making it a safe environment for kids too,” she says.
Hammoud says building parks and green spaces is a priority for him as a father. He says the city invested $30 million in parks and green spaces.
Back to the basics
Abdulnaser Alnajjar has been living in Dearborn for 17 years. He says the city has shifted away from helping residents with their basic needs.
He says the city needs a new leader, “someone who cares actually to fix their real problem, not just bragging about grants and some parks that I personally don’t care about.”
Alnajjar says the next mayor should focus on different issues like tax increases, garbage collection, traffic, and public safety.
He says the city also feels divided.
“I do a lot of door knocking and the west side, and then they feel like that they’re not welcomed, they’ve been pushed [out] by the city and when you come to the East Side, the East Side, feel like the West Side is getting all the good services, and we just get the leftover[s].”
Alnajjar believes mayoral challenger Nagi Almudhegi brings a fresh perspective to city politics.
A fresh perspective
Nagi Almudhegi has been working as an IT professional for 20 years. He says he’s running for Dearborn mayor as an independent candidate to bring change to the city.
He’s also Arab American.
“These last few years is I see the direction of Dearborn deteriorating. We’re more divided than ever before,” he says.
For example, Almudhegi says more could have been done sooner to resolve the flooding in the city.
“What I would have done exactly within the first six months of getting into office, I would have issued a report,” he says.
If elected, Almudhegi says he wants to build a $1 million internship program for youth.
Nagi Almudhegi is a candidate in Dearborn’s 2025 mayoral race.
He also wants to attract more businesses.
“I want Dearborn to be known as the entrepreneurial hub and innovation hub of America, and we have the talent to do it,” he says.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says the city invested a $25 million federal grant to improve Warren Avenue and launched the Night of Innovation to provide monetary prizes to businesses during a pitch competition.
“We are at over 100 ribbon cuttings this year,” he shares.
Recently, Hammoud has come under fire for telling resident Ted Barham he’s not welcome in Dearborn in response to a comment against a street sign bearing the name of Arab American newspaper publisher Osama Siblani. The sign was put up by Wayne County.
Nagi Almudhegi says he would have handled things differently by staying silent.
“As politicians, we can come up with statements that will try to defuse the situation,” he says.
Hammoud issued a response to the criticism at a city council meeting, saying everyone is welcome.
“Those who call Dearborn home know who we are, a city that welcomes and embraces everyone. It is our hope that one day, the unity you actually find in Dearborn, amongst its residents, is the same unity and coexistence that you see across our entire nation,” he says.
Representation for Arab Americans
Ali Baleed Almaklani at Arab Con
Ali Baleed Almaklani, Executive Director of the Yemen American Benevolent Association, has been living in Dearborn for more than 50 years. He says Dearborn has more Arab American representation in public office than it did prior.
“Listen, long time ago, we didn’t have nobody in the city council. We used to wish to have an Arab American, Muslim American, whatever, to be even in the city council,” he says.
Dearborn residents will have to decide whether they want to give Abdullah Hammoud another four years in office or want a new leader to bring a different viewpoint to the city.
Election day is Tuesday, November 4th.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
Harris says winning would fulfill a dream he’s had since a city councilman came to his elementary school and spoke to his fifth grade class.
“He made us feel like our voice counted,” Harris says. “And I said one day I want to serve the citizens in that capacity.
Harris is the only at-large candidate without council experience. He says that’s not necessarily a disadvantage.
“The majority of people say we need some fresh blood in there,” he says. “The city always needs to change.”
One change Harris says he wants is to make it easier for new businesses to start up in Detroit. He says it’s frustrating for many entrepreneurs to cut through red tape.
“I’d make it a simple one-stop shop,” he says. “You get your certificates, you get all your compliance done, bam! You’re ready to go.”
Public safety matters
Harris has been a Detroit firefighter for 28 years. He says that experience is something his opponents do not have. He also says public safety starts with the citizens.
“You can’t have a police officer on every corner, every block, every house, but you do have citizens,” Harris says. “When you build that bridge with the citizens, with community violence intervention, it works.”
Harris says he does not want to see the National Guard policing the city.
“We have one of the best police departments in the world,” he says. “Our police officers, our citizens, our block clubs have a relationship.”
His vision: an affordable, walkable city
Harris says one way to increase affordable housing in Detroit is to lower property taxes. Another is to keep building housing projects that working class people can buy. He also wants to make Detroit more walkable. Harris says people should be able to walk to work, school, church, and recreation centers safely.
“I will work with the eight other council members to see what we could do to have more walkable communities.”
Election Day is Nov. 4, 2025.
WDET interviews with other candidates in this race
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
Detroit is preparing for a mayoral election filled with “firsts.”
For the first time in a dozen years voters will elect a new leader to guide the Motor City, as Hizzoner Mike Duggan leaves to make an independent bid for governor.
And the next mayor will become either the first woman or, as far as city historians can tell, the first clergyman to ever sit atop Detroit’s government.
Blazing a political trail
History was on display at a recent news conference in Detroit’s Dexter-Linwood neighborhood.
Detroit City Council President and mayoral candidate Mary Sheffield stood in front of a historic-but-abandoned apartment building.
The structure is on a fast-track for development because of a program Sheffield helped create to address the city’s lack of affordable housing. She called it one of many initiatives she pursued during her dozen years on Council.
But Sheffield is also fully aware that she herself is at the precipice of Detroit history.
Mary Sheffield announcing her mayoral bid at a union hall in Detroit.
Sheffield is the first woman in more than 30 years to make it to the general election for mayor.
“I have thought about it,” she said. “I definitely lead with the fact that I’m the most experienced candidate, I just happen to be a woman. But I do think it sends a powerful message that we are ready for women leadership in Detroit. Most importantly it shows our next generation of women that they can be anything they put their mind to.”
Sheffield says she believes Detroiters are finally prepared to send a woman to the mayor’s office.
“That’s what I’ve heard. I’ve been campaigning for a year now and there’s a lot of excitement. In 324 years we’ve never had a woman lead. We’ve had 75 mayors in Detroit. Not one has been a woman. We’ve seen women lead in other cities, so it’s not new.”
Tough enough to be mayor
Many women have chaired Detroit’s City Council.
But some who sought the mayor’s job, like former Council Member Saunteel Jenkins, say they ran into gender-based roadblocks.
“There is still a real power base and a voting base that, for whatever reason, doesn’t believe women should be leading,” Jenkins said.
She came up just short of being one of the top two finalists in this year’s mayoral race.
But Jenkins is a veteran campaigner for political office.
And she says women candidates deal with a level of scrutiny their male counterparts do not.
“Things as little as the height of the heels you wear or if you have on heels at all,” Jenkins said. “I was talking to someone just recently about when Jennifer Granholm ran the first time for governor in Michigan and how much time they spent even on her hair color. Because people would judge her based on how blonde she was or was not.”
Jenkins had navigated political gauntlets before.
Yet despite having served as City Council president and the CEO of a non profit, Jenkins says it was clear a different standard applied to being the executive officer of Detroit’s government.
“There were people who said, ‘Leading Council, that’s amazing. But the mayor’s office? You sure you want to do that? That’s a tough job.’ As if women would not be tough enough to do that. And that was a question I was asked often, are you tough enough for this job? It’s not something that people would ask a man.”
Mixing ministry with the mayor’s office
The candidate vying with Sheffield to be Detroit’s next mayor has faced his own questions — because he is a man of the cloth.
The Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr. spent his primary election night victory speech hammering Sheffield. Not for her gender, but for what he alleged is her neglect of neighborhoods where a majority of children still live in poverty.
“Where do we go from here? Detroit deserves results,” Kinloch told the crowd of supporters. “We deserve more than you just talking the talk. We deserve you stepping up and standing up and walking the walk.”
Russ McNamara interviews Rev. Solomon Kinloch in the WDET studio ahead of Detroit’s mayoral election.
Kinloch has said he’ll continue pastoring his Triumph Church if he’s elected mayor. He calls his campaign an extension of his ministry.
“This gives an opportunity to see the preacher in a different role. To know that all of us got a responsibility, not to just do something from a spiritual perspective, but to do something social and political. That’s my rearing and my raising. And if I don’t do nothing else, I believe that this is a great opportunity to inspire an entire city that ordinary people can do some extraordinary things.”
The bully political pulpit
But other pastors in the Motor City say mixing politics and the pulpit often means walking a treacherous moral tightrope.
The Rev. Nicholas Hood III was a Detroit City Council member in the early 2000’s and twice made unsuccessful bids for the mayor’s office.
Hood says while on Council he had to serve both the public and his own conscience.
“It’s one thing to take a position on any issue from the perspective of political expediency. But then to add the burden of deciding if this is morally right. Does this position jive with my faith and what I think God would expect of me?”
Hood says running for office was not exactly what some of his congregation expected. Or approved of.
“My church members always raised an eyebrow. They were proud of me. I think they still are. But people would say, ‘I don’t want you to be corrupted. Politics is corrupt.’ I would always counter, ‘But that’s all the more reason why you need people like me to get engaged.’ ” Detroit’s churches do have a history of being politically active.
Sheffield noted that fact during a recent and contentious televised mayoral debate with Kinloch.
She said, “We have a pastor here who has not developed one unit of housing. But we have a lot of your peers who’ve joined in our faith-based initiative, where we’re gonna be supporting our faith-based institutions to spur economic development and build housing here in the city of Detroit.”
Kinloch’s response was one of many testy exchanges between the two mayoral contenders.
“Mary, it’s disingenuous for you to assault me and my church for all of the work that you know we’ve done in this community. Triumph Church and Solomon Kinloch have done more for this community than anybody you know.”
Detroiter Ronald Ferguson, for one, says he’s seen broken streetlights come on and blighted buildings come down in his neighborhood.
But Ferguson questions how much Sheffield had to do with that.
He says Kinloch’s message of reducing poverty resonates with him.
“I feel he’s for the people. And I think he’ll do a better job than what we’ve seen over the past 6-10 years from his opponent,” Ferguson said. “She’s been Council President for so long. Yet where’s all the results from her efforts? So I’m ready to try something different to see if I can get a different result.”
But there’s a different vibe at a watch party where Detroiters viewed this month’s acrimonious televised debate.
Voters there, like Arlyssa Heard, had few concerns about Sheffield’s record.
Heard says she values both Sheffield’s service and the historic nature of the Council President’s run for mayor.
“I think it’s important,” Heard said. “I think it also is a statement that as long as you’re qualified, whether you are a woman or a man, it means something. But I think it would be great to see a woman lead this town. I don’t know if that’s gonna have anything to do with my decision. But I think it would make for some good things to talk about the next morning over coffee.”
When that sun rises after Election Day it will mark a new dawn for Detroit politics, whether it’s a woman or a minister set to occupy the mayor’s chair.
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit voters will choose a new mayor Tuesday in the city’s first open-seat mayoral race in a dozen years.
City Council President Mary Sheffield and Triumph Church pastor Solomon Kinloch, both Democrats, will face off for the city’s top job after placing first and second in the Aug. 5 nonpartisan primary. The winner will replace outgoing three-term Mayor Mike Duggan, who is running for governor of Michigan as an independent.
The city faces a vastly different situation than it did when Duggan was first elected in 2013. In July of that year, it became the largest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy. The city now has a budget surplus, 12 years of balanced budgets and projected economic growth for the next five years. Homicides and violent crimes are down, while the city’s population has increased for the second consecutive year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Still, the next mayor will face numerous challenges, including a shortage of affordable housing and vast economic disparities along racial lines.
Sheffield has led the field in fundraising throughout the campaign. As of the August primary, her campaign fund more than doubled that of her eight competitors combined.
In the general election, she has far outraised and outspent Kinloch. As of Oct. 19, her campaign had spent more than $1.8 million on her campaign and had roughly $772,000 in the bank. By that same point, Kinloch had spent about $160,000 on the race and had less than $11,000 remaining in the bank.
Since receiving more than 50% of the vote in the August primary, Sheffield has picked up key endorsements from Duggan, as well as from two of her former primary opponents, former city council president Saunteel Jenkins and city council member Fred Durhal. Jenkins received 16% of the primary vote, narrowly losing a spot on the general election ballot to Kinloch, who received about 17%. Durhal received about 3% of the vote.
Soloman Kinloch (left) and Mary Sheffield (right) face off in the race for Detroit’s next mayor this November
The Detroit electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic. In the 2024 presidential election, voters in the city supported Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris over Republican Donald Trump by about a 9-1 ratio.
At a September rally in Howell, Michigan, Vice President JD Vance sent a public message to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that the administration is “happy” to send the National Guard to Detroit. “All you gotta do is ask,” he said.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Michigan’s mandatory recount law does not apply to Detroit’s mayoral race. Instead, candidates may request and pay for a recount, with the payment refunded if the recount changes the outcome. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
What to expect on Tuesday:
How late are polls open?
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The AP will provide vote results and declare the winner in Detroit’s mayoral race.
Who gets to vote?
Any voter registered in Detroit may participate in the mayoral general election.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
There were more than 518,000 registered voters in Detroit as of the August mayoral primary.
Turnout in that primary was about 17% of registered voters. About 32% of mayoral primary voters cast their ballots in person, while the remaining 68% voted early in person or by absentee ballot.
Turnout in the 2021 mayoral general election was about 19% of registered voters, with about 67% of voters casting early or absentee ballots.
As of Monday, nearly 45,000 ballots had been cast in Detroit before Election Day.
How long does vote counting usually take?
In the August primary, the AP first reported results at 8:32 p.m. ET, or 32 minutes after polls closed. The vote tabulation ended for the night at 4:30 a.m. ET, with 100% of votes counted.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.
Adam Alharbi, 44, is an engineer for the Department of Commerce. He’s running for Hamtramck mayor to improve the place he’s called home since he was a kid.
“I will show that I’m for everyone. I’m not a Yemeni candidate or a Muslim candidate, I’m an Hamtramckan candidate that I will serve everyone equally, regardless of race, religion,” he says.
Alharbi says among residents’ top concerns are high property taxes and water bills, along with deteriorating water lines and sewer systems.
“We have sewer systems and water lines that are deteriorated and been neglected for so many years, and now we need millions and millions of dollars to change them,” he says.
But Alharbi says there is potential for change.
“We have potential to make it look nice and attract visitors and businesses and improve our city,” he says.
Alharbi, 44, was the highest vote getter in Hamtramck’s mayoral primary election, with 1,931 votes.
Alharbi says repairing water and sewer lines can take place over years and phases.
Connecting Hamtramck
Recently, several Hamtramck city councilmembers have been charged or are being investigated for alleged election fraud cases.
He says its also important to educate voters, who may have a language barrier in the Yemeni and Bengali communities, to not present their ballots to any candidates, amid the allegations.
“Some of them [voters], because either they’re fairly new in Hamtramck, they feel like, oh, a candidate, he’s a government employee. He’s asking me this, it must be legal, but they don’t think it’s legal,” he says.
Alharbi says working with influencers to create videos in various languages about the do’s and don’t’s of elections may help inform voters.
If elected, Alharbi says he will make educational videos about city meetings and host an annual State of the City to further engage residents.
“A lot of people don’t watch or attend the council meetings, so I will make sure that I provide videos afterwards, explaining what happened, what our plans are, what our challenges are, so that they’re aware” he says.
Welcoming business, bringing people together
Alharbi, who is a part of the Downtown Development Authority, says he plans to expand business in the city by updating parts of Banglatown in Hamtramck to reflect the Bangladeshi population. Similarly, he hopes to create a Yemen Town and World Town on Jos Campau to reflect the communities in the city and attract new businesses.
“We’re called the world in two square miles. We just want to make Hamtramck a better city, good reputation and welcoming to everyone,” he says.
He says as a business owner, he will also work to ease business permits on Jos Campau and provide incentives to big businesses.
Alharbi previously served on the Hamtramck Zoning Board of Appeals and as Vice President of the Yemeni American Leadership Association (YALA).
Alharbi says he would like to host more events in the city to bring people together.
“We should look out for each other, because what unite us is far more than the differences we have,” he says.
He hopes to bring positive change to the city.
“I want a legacy that showcases a successful Yemeni Muslim person who improved a city regardless of the challenges that we had,” he says.
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Lynn Blasey, 42, is a write in candidate for Hamtramck mayor. She says she decided to run after community members asked her to run.
“When some community members approached me, it was really asking me to be a voice or a viable choice that residents can feel more comfortable about,” she says.
Blasey is the co-director of Community Arts Partnerships for the College for Creative Studies. She has worked at the education department at the Arab American National Museum, educating people about Arab American communities.
Blasey ran and lost bids for the Hamtramck City Council in 2021 and 2023. She serves as the vice chair of the Hamtramck Arts and Culture Commission.
She created the Hamtramck Area Disaster Recovery Group as part of flood recovery efforts for FEMA after the floods in 2021.
Uplifting Hamtramck
Blasey says she’s concerned about Hamtramck’s public image.
“People across the world have some pretty negative opinions of our city, and so this is a really good opportunity to sway that narrative and help celebrate the wonderful, magical things that make this community so unique and diverse,” she says.
Blasey says she’s disappointed by the recent election fraud in the city.
“I have spoken up previously about the effects cheating has and that people doing it continuously is a degradation of our democracy and really weakens the whole system,” she says.
Blasey says she would like to hold people accountable by taking a firm stance against people who don’t respect the law.
She says it’s important to communicate and connect with community leaders and organizations in Hamtramck to bring people together.
“I think we need to return to having more town hall meetings, utilizing some of our public spaces when there are some of those more challenging issues on the table, really taking those to the community,” she says.
Supporting the arts and businesses
Blasey is connected to the city’s arts community. She says more can be done to leverage artists.
“There is a huge design economy, arts economy, that Hamtramck is not really tapped into. We have a lot of artists here, but we’re not capitalizing on that,” she says.
Blasey is a part of the Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority’s Organization & Promotions sub-committee.
“I think there are some really uniquely Hamtramck ways that we can attract new businesses,” she says.
She says it’s important for people to work together, building on each other’s strengths.
“I think there is so much value in bringing people together,” she says.
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Hamtramck City Councilman Muhith Mahmood, 52, is running for mayor in Hamtramck.
If elected, Mahmood would become the first Bangladeshi American Muslim mayor in the city.
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is not running for re-election. President Trump has nominated him for ambassador to Kuwait. He awaits a U.S. Senate vote.
Mahmood’s platform
Mahmood says voters are concerned about property taxes, high water bills, and deteriorating infrastructure.
“Everything is high in Hamtramck due to the fact of one of the oldest city in Michigan is over 100 years old, and last few years, the city was being neglected,” he says.
Mahmood says he will work hard to bring the city back to good shape, “Where people can come and invest their money. We get different sources to earn the money so we don’t have to raise the taxes every year.”
Mahmood has previously served as the sergeant-at-arms for the Unite Here! Local 24 union, representing hospitality workers; the Democratic Party’s 13th district Vice Chair, and president of the Michigan Bangladeshi-American Democratic Caucus (MI-BADC). He’s the founder and president of Golapganj Helping Hand USA, a charity organization that serves people in Bangladesh and in the U.S.
Investigations for election fraud in Hamtramck
Hamtramck voters have expressed concern about pending investigations of alleged election fraud by several councilmembers.
Mahmood says people are taking advantage of voters, some whom are newer immigrants, and may not know some of the laws of elections.
“Some of the people are taking advantage out of it, picking up their ballot or picking from mailbox, frauding their signature. Of course I’m against it. That’s not what democracy is,” he says.
He says people have the right to choose their leaders, and community leaders play a role in educating voters.
Mahmood, who is part of a residency fraud investigation by the Michigan State Police, says he has been living in Hamtramck since 2021, when he ran for a seat on the city council.
“And that time they investigated everything. I don’t know why it became an issue after a few years, even though not when I was running… after I get elected, few years later, it became an issue,” he says.
Mahmood says he owns other homes, including one in Troy, where his family lives.
He says he is running for mayor in Hamtramck because he loves the city, and he hopes to bring people together.
“Everybody needs to have a step forward to a one inclusive city… We all need to respect each other, respect their values, respect their religious freedom,” he says.
Mahmood’s opponent, Adam Alharbi, is an engineer for the Department of Commerce.
Lynn Blasey, Community Arts Partnerships co-director for the College for Creative Studies, is running as a write-in candidate.
On Nov. 4, Dearborn residents will vote for mayor of the city. Current mayor Abdullah Hammoud is running for a second term against political newcomer, independent Nagi Almudhegi.
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Detroit’s mayoral candidates came out swinging during a debate televised on WXYZ.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. used the time to both address issues and criticize each other with increasingly personal attacks.
Morning Edition – Detroit Host Pat Batcheller asked WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter about the messages the candidates were sending to voters.
Listen: Detroit mayoral candidates attack issues and each other during heated debate
Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: They agreed on several core issues. They said Detroiters need better access to affordable housing, more investment in neighborhood communities and additional methods to fight crime and poverty.
Council president Mary Sheffield said she worked with outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan to deliver Detroit from bankruptcy.
But she wants to cut even more red tape to bring new business to the city at a time when federal Covid relief funding is running out.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield: This is a critical moment in Detroit’s recovery where we can move forward with progress or we can gamble with our future with inexperienced leadership.
QK: Reverend Kinloch is a political newcomer. But he says he is well-versed in one of the long-standing complaints in Detroit, that residents in the outer-ring neighborhoods just don’t feel the benefits from the investments made downtown since the city emerged from bankruptcy.
Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.: I grew up in the city of Detroit, the westside of Detroit. I know what it means to hear people saying that the city is coming back but it has not reached your block. It has not knocked on your door.
Pat Batcheller, WDET News: Neither Sheffield nor Kinloch are incumbents in this campaign. But Sheffield has served for a dozen years on the City Council. How did that play into the debate?
QK: Kinloch questioned just how effective Sheffield has been on Council.
She touted numerous programs she initiated, especially in regards to affordable housing and fighting crime.
Sheffield also alleged Kinloch did little to use his bully church pulpit to aid those efforts.
MS: He’s been absent on every single public safety initiative in this city. And we do need more than rhetoric and talk and slogans. We need leadership that delivers. I’ve done that and I will continue to do that as mayor.
SK: She keeps talking about what she’s tried, what she’s tried, what she’s tried. Anything that she wants to do as mayor, she could have done it seated at the City Council table the last 12 years. So at the end of the day, why is it that she didn’t do it?
PB: That was only one in a series of contentious exchanges between the two candidates. And they seemed to become more personal as the debate wore on.
QK: Yes. In fact, the two traded accusations about possible corruption in their financial dealings.
Kinloch, who is in effect the challenger of a veteran, if young, incumbent government official, cast Sheffield as someone more interested in headlines and social media posts then residents’ concerns.
SK: The tenor and tone of my opponent tonight reminds people the danger of having individuals who are privileged to sit in these seats of power. When I distributed laptops to ten thousand kids in the community, you were not there. Time out for us to believe that we are supposed to kiss their ring in order to get access to these people. I believe in talking directly to the people.
MS: I’ve done the same thing, pastor, for 12 years. Occupying the Corners (events.) Shoes. Backpacks. We’ve given out thousands of resources to our residents year after year. But we’ve also made meaningful policy changes in this city, fostering an environment of collaboration that has allowed this city to move forward. And we’re doing it with action, not just rhetoric.
PB: Do we have any idea how this is all playing with voters?
QK: We gained a small window on those opinions courtesy of WDET’s Alex McLenon, who was with voters at a debate watch party.
He talked with Detroiter Chiara Clayton, who says she was not a fan of the attacking style of either candidate.
Chiara Clayton: I wish everyone would just stick to the topics and their plan. It’s hard to have a debate, I guess, without some type of personal digs or contentiousness. But I just want people to stick to their views or what they want to do.
QK: We’ll see if that happens during the joint appearances the candidates have set over the next few weeks.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
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Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. used their televised debate on Channel 7 to address issues and criticize each other with increasingly personal attacks.
While much of the media’s attention on November’s elections has been on Detroit’s mayoral race, there are many other political contests happening outside the city.
One of them is in Madison Heights. That’s where a one-term city council member is running for mayor against the current Eastpointe police chief.
If elected, the council member would be the city’s first Black mayor. But what’s also interesting about this race is that he — not the police chief — won the endorsement of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police.
How did City Councilor Quinn Wright do it? And, why does he want to be mayor?
Last week, Producer Sam Corey spoke with Wright about that and more.
The Metro reached out multiple times to Wright’s opponent, Chief Corey Haines. We still have not heard back from him.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
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