A number of candidates running for Detroit City Council are flexing endorsements as they knock doors to get out the vote ahead of the August 5 primary election.
The election technically begins next week as absentee ballots are mailed out June 22 to voters on the state’s permanent mailing list or those who requested them.
The general election is Nov. 6. Incumbent council president pro-tem James Tate, District 5, and incumbent council member Latisha Johnson, District 4, are both running unopposed.
Here’s who’s backing candidates running in each competitive district:
District 2: Incumbent council member Angela Whitfield Calloway faces a challenge from state Rep. Helena Scott, D-Detroit. Calloway is endorsed by the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party.
District 3: Incumbent council member Scott Benson faces a challenge from Cranstana Anderson. Benson is endorsed by the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party.
District 4: Incumbent council member Latisha Johnson is running unopposed and also received an endorsement from 13th Congressional District Democrats.
District 5: In the newly drawn District 5, several candidates with low name ID are touting their values and accomplishments in hopes to separate themselves from the rest of the field.
Community organizer and UAW retiree, Renata Miller, has earned endorsements from the UAW, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights and the Black Slate.
Board of police commissioner Willie Burton says he would demand better public transit, affordable water rates and housing. On his campaign website, Burton said he would, “fight back against immoral tax giveaways and abatements for billionaires. Our public dollars must serve the public—not line the pockets of the ultra-rich.”
Candidate Michael Ri’chard has received an endorsement from the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party.
Also running in District 5 is George Adams Jr., the founder of 360 Detroit, a nonprofit aimed at revitalizing the Virginia Park neighborhood, Esther Haugabook and Tatjana Jackson. BridgeDetroit is hosting a candidate forum for District 5 candidates at 5:30pm on Wednesday, June 18 at Eastern Market’s Shed 5.
District 6: Incumbent council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero’s reelection campaign has been endorsed by the electric workers union, Local 58 IBEW, Detroit Action, a grassroots racial and economic justice organization and SEIU of Michigan.
She’s also earned support from state office holders like Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, and local candidates like Denzel McCampbell, who worked for U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Santiago-Romero is being challenged by fellow Southwest Detroit lawmaker state Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit. There’s no primary for this council race given there are only two candidates who made the ballot. Santiago-Romero is appearing on the ballot after an agreement between the city, county clerk and her campaign’s attorney, Mark Brewer.
The city initially denied Santiago-Romero access to the ballot because she failed to pay a late filing fee she says never should have been issued in the first place.
District 7: State Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, told Michigan Chronicle she’s not looking for endorsements for her city council campaign to replace councilman Fred Durhal III.
“I don’t want to feel pressured to be beholden to anyone,” Whitsett said.
She faces Bobbi Johnson, Denzel McCampbell and Regina Ross, who are also running to represent District 7, which covers a large swath of the city’s west side. Ross earned the endorsement of the 13th District Democratic Party last month.
“I got a calendar full of community events and I want to make my seniors feel special,” Whitsett said. “They felt neglected for the last two years.”
Whitsett said she isn’t participating in endorsement screenings because it’s not the best use of her time.
“I can do what nobody else can do, which is deliver from the state — that’s what I’ll be doing,” she said.
At large: Incumbent at-large candidates Mary Waters and Coleman A Young are both endorsed by 13th Congressional District Democrats. They are being challenged by the following candidates: Levan Adams, Janee Ayers, Shakira Hawkins, Gary Hunter and Valerie Parker.
Fire chief James Harris is endorsed by the Detroit Fire Fighters Association.
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