LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Republican field in the U.S. Senate race is thinning, after former Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced Tuesday he is ending his bid just over four months after launching his campaign.
Craig was seen as one of the more high-profile candidates to enter the race, and he had been trying to win the support of former President Donald Trump, who has often swung GOP primaries with his endorsement.
Craig told The Associated Press that he is “strongly considering” running in Detroit’s mayoral election next year.
After leading the Detroit police department for eight years, Craig was also a leading GOP candidate for governor in 2022 before fraudulent signatures on campaign paperwork derailed his campaign.
The AP says his senatorial campaign had trouble gaining momentum. According to the latest finance reports filed last month, Craig had raised only $60,581 by the end of 2023, well behind other Senate candidates.
Republicans are vying for a shot to replace the U.S. Senate’s third-highest-ranking Democrat, Debbie Stabenow, who announced in January that she would retire after her fourth
Craig’s withdrawal narrows a crowded GOP field that includes former congressmen Mike Rogers and Peter Meijer.
Rogers has raised almost $2 million since announcing his campaign in September.
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin is considered the favorite to win the nomination and has dominated other candidates in fundraising, bringing in $11.7 million between her campaign launch in February 2023 until the end last year.
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