Retiring Detroit Chief On Run For Governor: 'Not Ruling It Out'

DETROIT — Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced his retirement Monday, adding that he's not ruling out a run for Michigan governor in 2022.

"I'm leaving in a good place," Craig said at a news conference Monday. "I love this city. And I love this state."

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan thanked Craig for his service, saying he brought a level of stability to the department that had seen five chiefs in fewer than five years prior to his arrival.

"Chief Craig brought professionalism to the department and it's been very well run we've had the chance to rebuild," Duggan said. "I tried to convince him to change his mind and stay up until last night."

Related: Detroit Chief Craig To Retire, Could Run For Governor: Reports

Craig, a Republican, addressed rumors that he would run for the Republican nomination in the 2022 Michigan governor race by saying he wouldn't rule it out while repeatedly telling reporters he wasn't going to talk about politics.

"I have not made that decision," Craig said. "I'm not ruling it out. There's an appropriate time. I will get past this and then I will come out (with) the decision."

Craig said that since news that he had been considering a run in the 2022 Gubernatorial election he had received texts, calls and emails from Republicans and Democrats across the state supporting a career in politics.

"I am deeply passionate about public service, but not just public service, but in a leadership role," he said.

If Craig did decide to oppose Whitmer in the upcoming race for governor, he would be the first prominent Republican name in the race.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel recently said she has considered stepping down from her current position in order to challenge Whitmer in 2022, according to a report by Politico's Alex Isenstadt. However, it remains unclear how serious McDaniel was when she was making those comments.

McDaniel reportedly met with members of the RNC in Dallas. According to the report, McDaniel became emotional at the meeting when describing how her two children have been unable to return to in-person learning and how Whitmer has "severely mishandled the coronavirus pandemic."

Many in the Republican party initially wanted Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller to run against Whitmer, but she put the kibosh on those rumors in January.

Lee Chatfield and John James have been mentioned as potential candidates, although neither has shown strong interest in running.

Michigan Senate Majority leader Mike Shirkey also has had his name tossed around as a potential candidate, although he previously told The Detroit News that he has "no interest" in running for governor.

If he does run in 2022, Duggan was one person who said they would continue their support for Whitmer.

"My perspective is pretty simple," Duggan told reports. "I think Gretchen Whitmer has been the best partner the city of Detroit has had in the governor's office in decades and I will be supporting her."

Craig, 65, has been with the Detroit Police Department since 2013 after being appointed police chief by Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr. A Cass Tech High School graduate, Craig joined the department in 1977.

He left in 1981 when he was laid off but quickly found work around the nation, making stops in Los Angeles, Portland, Maine, and Cincinnati — the latter two stops of which he was also chief of police for the respective departments.

In the last year, he dealt with adversity as police chief, with the coronavirus pandemic affecting the department drastically, with more than 600 officers placed on leave at one point due to testing positive for COVID-19.

Around the same time, Craig pointed out Monday, the department was dealing with more than 100 consecutive days of social justice protests following the death of George Floyd.

"We had some instances where there was violence directed to our police officers, but once again we prevailed," Craig said. "But most importantly, we didn't retreat. The city did not burn and were a model for the country."

Duggan said Craig's replacement will be filled once the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners hires a search firm that will provide him with a list of five candidates they have approved, a move required by the city charter. From there, Craig will choose a person off the list and that person's appointment would subsequently need approval from the city council.

First, however, Duggan will be hiring an interim chief. Who the person will be remains a mystery, but Duggan on Monday hinted at some of the attributes he will look for in finding Craig's immediate replacement.

"I think the interim chief needs to be somebody very familiar, whose job it is to keep this department going," Duggan said. "We still are dealing with a lot of violence. This is not going to be a period of time where we tread water. I'm expecting the interim chief to come in and be very aggressive at dealing with gun violence right out of the gate, and I hope that that will be resolved fairly quickly, and then we'll go from there."