Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate, aiming to win the seat of retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
Craig, a Republican, is now the second high-profile candidate to jump into the race on the GOP side as the party seeks to hold a Senate seat in the state for the first time since 2001. Craig announced his campaign in a post on X, saying, “The American People want a return to Law and Order. And that’s exactly what they’re going to get.”
The American People want a return to Law and Order.
And that’s exactly what they’re going to get.I am officially running for United States Senate.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT: ⤵️https://t.co/FyrSLov5yi pic.twitter.com/1Ue3rJr18q
— Chief James Craig (@chiefjamescraig) October 3, 2023
“I believe that I’m in it for all right reasons,” Craig told The Detroit News. “I’m not doing it for ego. I’m certainly not doing it for power. I’ve been a public servant for 44 years, and that’s what I’m passionate about.”
The 67-year-old, who led Detroit’s police force from 2013 to 2021, gained nationwide popularity for his department’s swift response following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing riots that broke out during the summer of 2020. While many cities across the country faced rioting and looting that resulted in billions of dollars in damages, Detroit remained relatively quiet with only a few protests breaking out.
Craig supports former President Donald Trump and endorsed him in an op-ed published by The Daily Caller last month. The former president previously praised Craig for his response to the George Floyd riots, calling him a “great police chief.”
“President Trump needs to win this election, and while in Washington again he is going to need other leaders supporting him who are unafraid of these problems Biden has created, leaders ready and eager to work towards tackling the issues confronting America,” Craig wrote.
The former Detroit police chief jumped into the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election and was an early favorite to win the GOP nomination, but fraudulent petition signatures doomed his campaign as he was kept off the primary election ballot. Republican nominee Tudor Dixon went on to lose to Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer by more than 10 percentage points.
Craig joins former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who announced his Senate campaign last month, in the race for the seat being vacated by Stabenow, who will retire at the end of her term, which is up in January of 2025. The likely Democrat opponent in Michigan will be Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who has already entered the race and is expected to win the nomination.
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Democrats have held onto both Michigan Senate seats since 2001, but the race is considered to be one of the party’s many potential Senate losses in 2024. Democrats hold just a two-seat majority in the U.S. Senate, and may have to hold onto the Michigan seat to keep control of the upper chamber.