Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, a Republican, announced on July 21 that he plans to run for Michigan’s governorship, noting that he has formed a gubernatorial “exploratory committee” to allow him to begin raising and spending funds.
On Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Craig reiterated his plan to form an “exploratory committee,” but also said in his interview, “I’m running,” and later, “We’re going to take the state back.”
“I led as chief of police—and began my life—on the streets of Detroit. Now, it is time to travel the state and visit other communities.”
Taking aim at Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is running for reelection in 2022, Craig said that he’ll be “talking with law enforcement, hosting small-business roundtables, and meeting with voters in their homes to hear about the negative impact the current governor’s policies are having on their communities, their workplaces, and their families.”
Craig’s campaign said that a formal campaign launch with events and rallies will likely take place after Labor Day, which falls on Sept. 6 this year.
He is the eighth Republican to form a candidate committee. A former Democrat, the 61-year-old will be just the second black major-party gubernatorial nominee if he wins the 2022 primary and faces Whitmer.
Craig, who retired from the Detriot Police Department in June, had been signaling his intention to run for months. He has blamed Democrats for school closures during the pandemic and has criticized Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions by saying that the United States isn’t a “monarchy.”
In his campaign-style clip, the former chief drives around Detroit while speaking about the city’s past troubles, such as the 1967 riots, as well as low morale in the police department and chronically slow response times to 911 calls before he was hired in 2013.
“As a leader, we led from the front, we turned it around, and made Detroit a safer city,” Craig said.
He said the state has “had enough” of politicians who don’t follow their own rules.
In May, Whitmer apologized after breaking her own rules while gathering with a dozen others in a crowded restaurant in East Lansing.
“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols,” Whitmer said in a statement to the media at the time. “Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together. Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it. In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize.”
Earlier that month, Whitmer said that gatherings at restaurants were to be limited to six or fewer people.
The seven other Republicans who have created campaign committees include Ryan Kelley, a real estate broker who organized protests against the governor’s pandemic restrictions; chiropractor and lockdown opponent Garrett Soldano; conservative host Tudor Dixon; Army veteran Austin Chenge; pastor Ralph Rebandt II; Bob Scott; and Articia Bomer.
