Editor’s note: This story is being updated as the Detroit Elections Department uploads the latest vote totals to its website.
Three competitive Detroit City Council races will determine the direction of the council under a the city’s next mayor.
Voters in Detroit City Council District 5, District 6 and 7, could elect Democratic Socialists. Candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America say they want to use council to bring investment to neighborhoods and create a political environment where politicians are beholden to represents who vote for them, not corporations who boost their campaigns.
Board of police commissioner Willie Burton (D5) incumbent Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero (D6) and former city charter commissioner Denzel McCampbell (D7) are all DSA Detroit members.
Whether one, two or all three make it to council could influence the next mayor’s agenda. Critics of the progressive movement say the city, under greater financial scrutiny without federal pandemic relief dollars, should be mindful not to take on more spending.
Here are the unofficial results as of early Tuesday night, an hour after polls closed.
District 1: James Tate
Incumbent councilman Pro-Tem James Tate, who has represented the district for more than a decade, has been elected to a fourth term representing District 1.
Tate was the only candidate on the ballot for the district that covers the city’s northwest side. He was first elected back in 2009 prior to Detroit’s current council district elections, assuming office representing District 1 back in 2013.
Tate won more than 98% of the vote Tuesday, with the other 1.8% going to write-in candidates.
James Chamder and Tashawna Rushin ran write-in campaigns.
District 2: Angela Whitfield Calloway vs. Roy McCalister
In District 2, Angela Whitfield Calloway faces Roy McCallister, a former council member who represented the northwest part of the city prior to Calloway’s term.
Early unofficial results show Calloway with a 63-46 percentage point lead Tuesday night as of 9pm. During the August primary, Calloway received 7,425 votes (44%) compared to McCallister’s 4,983 (29%).
Calloway rallied supporters with a megaphone outside of a polling location inside the Northwest Activities Center Tuesday, where she promised not to be a rubber stamp for billionaire developers.
Calloway touted her independence on council, often being the lone member to vote against proposals brought to council by Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration.
District 3: Scott Benson vs. Cranstana Anderson
Incumbent council member Scott Benson is poised to defeat Anderson, according to unofficial results.
Benson won 69% of the vote, to Anderson’s 29%. As of Wednesday morning around 1:30am, 11,051 residents voted in the District.
Benson, the chair of the city’s Green Task Force, has advocated for more sustainable, cleaner residential neighborhoods. His office has collaborated with the city’s blight reduction program to get rid of trash and clean up derelict properties across the northeast side district.
The district is made up of Conant Gardens, Krainz Woods, Regent Park and Banglatown.
District 4: Latisha Johnson
Incumbent Latisha Johnson will serve a second term after running for the east side district unopposed.
Johnson, who campaigned with Gabriela Santiago-Romero and Denzel McCampbell during the lead up to the general election, won 98% of the vote Tuesday.
District 5: Renata Miller vs. Willie Burton
Detroit City Council’s District 5 race features a matchup between UAW-backed Renata Miller, and Burton, who says he would form coalitions among progressives if elected to council.
As of the latest update to the city’s unofficial results webpage Tuesday evening, Miller holds a commanding lead, up more than 2,000 votes.
Miller has said in interviews she would focus on truly affordable housing and bringing more business into the city.
Miller, who is endorsed by a number of unions, former city council candidates, faced allegations of mismanaging funds during her tenure as president of the Historic Indian Village Neighborhood Association.
The group is currently in a legal fight to gain control of its bank account, P.O. Box, taxes and email newsletter. Miller has defended her actions and rejected the claims from the group’s current leadership, which she says has no legal standing.
She has also been criticized for Facebook posts describing homosexuality as a sin. Miller told Michigan Chronicle last month the posts, still visible on her profile, do not represent her current views on same-sex marriage. She suggested the opposition against her from white Indian Village residents is racially motivated.
She has advocated for community-led development and boosting small businesses through grants and opportunities to access capital.
Burton was criticized by his opponents for a personal protection order filed against him in a Wayne County Circuit Court, alleging he continued to make contact with a woman he says was his ex-fiance in February, 2016 when he was 35.
He told Michigan Chronicle last week in an interview downtown he would form a coalition among other progressives if elected.
District 6: Gabriela Santiago-Romero vs. State Rep. Tyrone Carter
Across the council district that stretches across Southwest Detroit through, voters elected a younger, more progressive incumbent Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero, over state Rep. Tyrone Carter.
Carter during his campaign touted his roots in the area and his work defending immigrant communities representing Southwest Detroit in the state Legislature.
Early unofficial results show Santiago-Romero 67-32 percentage point lead over Carter Tuesday night.
The Southwest Detroit District didn’t have a primary election because Detroit election law skips it entirely when there are only two candidates on the ballot.
A legal challenge reversed a Detroit Elections Department decision earlier this year to remove Santiago-Romero from the November ballot after the Wayne County Clerk alleged her campaign hadn’t submitted a required form. She ultimately appeared on the ballot with Carter.
Santiago-Romero first assumed office in 2021.
District 7: Denzel McCampbell vs. Karen Whitsett
In District 7, Democratic Socialist Denzel McCampbell, a former city charter commissioner, defeated controversial state Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, to replace outgoing council member Fred Durhal III.
McCampbell won by more than 58% of the vote on Tuesday. Whitsett received 40% of the vote.
Durhal ran for mayor instead of running for reelection.
Whitsett has faced sharp criticism for walking out during last year’s legislative session that left number of Democratic priorities that affected Detroiters sidelined. But Durhal told Michigan Chronicle that he wouldn’t endorse a candidate in the race, saying both would bring different talents to council. McCampbell has said his vision for Detroit includes everyone, not just the billionaire class.
In an interview Tuesday outside of Cody High School, McCampbell told Michigan Chronicle that the district has the second most children across all seven council districts. He says it’s essential council works to expand opportunities for families looking to access youth programming.
“What’s at stake is making sure we’re actually providing for those families,” McCampbell said.
At-large: Coleman Young II, Mary Waters defeat Janee Ayers, James Harris
Voters can choose to elect new Detroit City Council at-large members in former councilwoman Janee Ayers and community relations fire chief James Harris.
Early unofficial results show voters are mostly sticking with incumbents Mary Waters (36%) and Coleman A. Young II (33%).
Both incumbents won by significant margins in the August primary election.
