Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a longtime Democrat, announced Wednesday that he is launching an independent bid for the governor’s mansion in Michigan.

Duggan announced his gubernatorial bid on Wednesday in a video statement. The Detroit mayor is the first candidate to officially announce their bid to replace Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third term, according to Politico.

“I’m not running to be the Democrats’ governor or the Republicans’ governor,” Duggan said in the video. “I’m running to be your governor.”

“What would happen if we upended the system and gave Michigan voters a new choice,” Duggan asked in the video. “A governor who didn’t run as a candidate of either party, who went to work every day with no goal, except to get people to work together for all of Michigan.”

Duggan first ran for office in 2013, and is the second-longest serving mayor in Detroit’s history, according to his office’s website. Duggan won re-election in November 2017, defeating Coleman A. Young II, according to the Detroit Free Press. Duggan won his third mayoral term in November 2021, winning against Anthony Adams, the Detroit Free Press reported.

“The current system forces people to choose sides, not find solutions, I want to see if I can change that,” Duggan added in the video.

The Mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Featured Image Credit: City of Detroit