The Detroit Regional Chamber PAC announced Monday it is endorsing city council member Fred Durhal III for Detroit mayor.
“The decision to endorse Durhal is rooted in the PAC’s proven track record of selecting capable leaders who align with the Chamber’s policy priorities and the best interests of the broader business community,” the chamber said in a statement. “The Chamber PAC is hopeful that this endorsement will help propel Durhal to a competitive position in the primary election and, should he be elected, that he will foster a competitive business climate, building on the exceptionally strong record of Mayor Mike Duggan.”
The endorsement is a last ditch effort by the local business community to boost Durhal’s campaign with three weeks left until the primary election.
The primary election on Aug. 5 will determine the two candidates who advance to the Nov. 4 general election. The mayor’s office is nonpartisan, which means the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary won’t meet the winners of an opposite political party, but each other during the general election.
The most recent poll show a number of candidates fighting for second place. Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. had 14% in the poll, followed by former Police Chief James Craig at 9% and Jenkins at 8%. Attorney Todd Perkins earned 4.3%, and Council Member Fred Durhal III with 1.6%.
Former nonprofit CEO and City Council President Saunteel Jenkins has said “it’s a virtual jump ball for the second spot.”
Council president Mary Sheffield has been the leader of each poll commissioned thus far.
That poll conducted by Lansing-based pollster Glengariff Group and commissioned by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV found 22% of voters were still undecided.
“As the largest business association in Michigan, and the chamber of commerce that represents Detroit and the greater Detroit Region, our Political Action Committee approved by the necessary two-thirds majority of the quorum required by Chamber PAC bylaws, an endorsement of Councilman Fred Durhal in the mayoral primary election,” said Chamber president and CEO Sandy Baruah and Chamber PAC Chairman, David Foltyn. “Durhal has demonstrated a strong economic development focus and detailed understanding of both city and state policy.”
Durhal has campaigned for the continued growth of the city and as a champion for neighborhoods. He’s promised to make Detroit more attractive for large businesses by lowering property taxes and advocating for the continued use of tax abatements to incentivize development. Durhal says one of the most important steps to improving the city is creating a path to home ownership for young professionals to start families.
“You don’t become wealthy by saving your money,” Durhal said during the first mayoral debate on Mackinac Island hosted by the Regional Chamber. “You become wealthy by owning property and owning a piece of the city that you live in, so you have the ability to pass that on from generation to generation.”
The Chamber hosted Durhal among five mayoral candidates for a debate at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference in May and invited all five for in-person interviews last week for the PAC endorsement.
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