By Lily Guiney
Gongwer News Service
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield was elected the city’s next mayor Tuesday evening, making history as the first woman to win the position since Detroit’s official founding 324 years ago.
Sheffield beat out Triumph Church Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. with 77% of the vote to Kinloch’s 23% by the time early Wednesday morning when nearly all the city’s precincts had reported voting totals. A massive landslide win for Sheffield seemed apparent from the moment she won a majority in a crowded August primary.
Kinloch conceded the race around 9 p.m., speaking from the Garden Theatre stage with his wife and son. He urged Detroiters not to sit on the sidelines, “despite all the poli-tricks and politics,” and said the city “is in trouble” and “ain’t nothing you can do about it.”
The Michigan Chronicle reported Sheffield spoke to reporters at her campaign’s election night party at the MGM Grand Detroit shortly before going onstage to address supporters, remarking that the historic nature of the win was starting to sink in not long after the Associated Press called the race in her favor.
“I am told, it was the largest margin (of victory) in the history of the city of Detroit,” Sheffield said during the press conference before addressing the larger crowd. “I feel like today was a mandate by our city.”
Sheffield, who held a dominant position in the race well before the August primary, where she cruised to a win over eight other candidates, was congratulated by her soon-to-be predecessor, current Mayor Mike Duggan.
Duggan, who decided against seeking a fourth mayoral term in favor of running for governor as an independent, praised Sheffield in a statement released Tuesday night.
“She ran an outstanding campaign and will do a great job running the City of Detroit,” Duggan said. “Our city’s progress is in very good hands, and I know she and her team will make sure it not only continues, but expands.”
Congratulatory statements continued to roll in from other prominent Democrats around the state – those who weren’t onsite at Sheffield’s victory party, that is, given that reporters spotted notable figures like Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak and Abdul El-Sayed, both U.S. Senate candidates, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, both gubernatorial candidates, and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Bolden Harris.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel was among those cheering Sheffield, issuing a statement saying her mayoralty would mean not only important representation for female Detroiters but for the city writ large under the second Trump administration.
“With her win, thousands of children in Detroit can now see themselves reflected in the city’s leadership in a way they never might have imagined before,” Hertel said in a statement. “With Mayor Sheffield, Detroiters have a passionate public servant fighting for them and their families, especially in the face of Republicans from Lansing to D.C. attacking them at every turn. Mary Sheffield is a fighter, and I know she will stand up for working families and their children every single day as mayor; the city is lucky to have her.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted her congratulations on X, formerly Twitter, just before midnight.
“Our city is home of one of the greatest comeback stories in the country, defined by hard work and grit. I look forward to working together to build on our incredible progress and keep making our city a great place to live, work, and invest,” she said.
In her remarks to hundreds of supporters gathered in the MGM Detroit ballroom, which the Detroit Free Press reported was packed and glitzy, Sheffield promised not to lose sight of the message that got her there.
“I’ve heard you loud and clear Detroit, throughout this campaign, ‘Don’t forget about the neighborhoods,’ and I tell you we won’t,” she said. “Together, we will invest in every corner of our city.”
Gongwer News Service
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield was elected the city’s next mayor Tuesday evening, making history as the first woman to win the position since Detroit’s official founding 324 years ago.
Sheffield beat out Triumph Church Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. with 77% of the vote to Kinloch’s 23% by the time early Wednesday morning when nearly all the city’s precincts had reported voting totals. A massive landslide win for Sheffield seemed apparent from the moment she won a majority in a crowded August primary.
Kinloch conceded the race around 9 p.m., speaking from the Garden Theatre stage with his wife and son. He urged Detroiters not to sit on the sidelines, “despite all the poli-tricks and politics,” and said the city “is in trouble” and “ain’t nothing you can do about it.”
The Michigan Chronicle reported Sheffield spoke to reporters at her campaign’s election night party at the MGM Grand Detroit shortly before going onstage to address supporters, remarking that the historic nature of the win was starting to sink in not long after the Associated Press called the race in her favor.
“I am told, it was the largest margin (of victory) in the history of the city of Detroit,” Sheffield said during the press conference before addressing the larger crowd. “I feel like today was a mandate by our city.”
Sheffield, who held a dominant position in the race well before the August primary, where she cruised to a win over eight other candidates, was congratulated by her soon-to-be predecessor, current Mayor Mike Duggan.
Duggan, who decided against seeking a fourth mayoral term in favor of running for governor as an independent, praised Sheffield in a statement released Tuesday night.
“She ran an outstanding campaign and will do a great job running the City of Detroit,” Duggan said. “Our city’s progress is in very good hands, and I know she and her team will make sure it not only continues, but expands.”
Congratulatory statements continued to roll in from other prominent Democrats around the state – those who weren’t onsite at Sheffield’s victory party, that is, given that reporters spotted notable figures like Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak and Abdul El-Sayed, both U.S. Senate candidates, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, both gubernatorial candidates, and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Bolden Harris.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel was among those cheering Sheffield, issuing a statement saying her mayoralty would mean not only important representation for female Detroiters but for the city writ large under the second Trump administration.
“With her win, thousands of children in Detroit can now see themselves reflected in the city’s leadership in a way they never might have imagined before,” Hertel said in a statement. “With Mayor Sheffield, Detroiters have a passionate public servant fighting for them and their families, especially in the face of Republicans from Lansing to D.C. attacking them at every turn. Mary Sheffield is a fighter, and I know she will stand up for working families and their children every single day as mayor; the city is lucky to have her.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted her congratulations on X, formerly Twitter, just before midnight.
“Our city is home of one of the greatest comeback stories in the country, defined by hard work and grit. I look forward to working together to build on our incredible progress and keep making our city a great place to live, work, and invest,” she said.
In her remarks to hundreds of supporters gathered in the MGM Detroit ballroom, which the Detroit Free Press reported was packed and glitzy, Sheffield promised not to lose sight of the message that got her there.
“I’ve heard you loud and clear Detroit, throughout this campaign, ‘Don’t forget about the neighborhoods,’ and I tell you we won’t,” she said. “Together, we will invest in every corner of our city.”
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