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Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by <a href="https://lipperalpha.refinitiv.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_refinitive_info">Refinitiv Lipper</a>. <br>FOX News host Greg Gutfeld and guests discuss the effort to slash Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's salary to $1 on 'Gutfeld!'<br>As Democrats hope to retain the governor’s seat in the swing state of Michigan with Gov. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-leduff-suing-gretchen-whitmer-covid-nursing-home-data" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gretchen Whitmer</a> term-limited, a top Democratic figure has launched an independent bid, leading to a search on the left for an alternative standard-bearer.<br>Three-term Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, viewed for some time as very likely to seek the governor’s office, <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/duggan-runs-governor-independent-people-feel-left-out-both-parties">reportedly surprised</a> the state’s body politic by announcing he will do so as an independent.<br>"I went to Lansing and built relationships with Democrats and Republicans. We took our neighborhoods out of the darkness of burned-out streetlights and we lit the entire city to the national standard… and reduced Detroit's unemployment rate to its lowest rate in more than 30 years," Duggan said in his campaign launch video.<br>"The current system forces people to choose sides that find solutions. I want to see if I can change that."<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/buttigieg-rejects-critics-ev-future-people-2000s-saying-we-could-have-landlines-forever" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>BUTTIGIEG REJECTS CRITICS OF EV FUTURE: LIKE PEOPLE IN 2000S SAYING WE COULD HAVE LANDLINES FOREVER</strong></a><br><span>The Detroit skyline and the Ambassador Bridge are seen from Riverside Park.</span> <span>(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)</span><br>He struck a similar tone in recent remarks to reporters:<br>Duggan said in his final year as mayor he wants to "establish a working relationship with the Trump administration," and noted he had done so with fellow Motor City native HUD Secretary Ben Carson one term prior.<br>He also told The Associated Press he views many Americans as being "tired of both parties and tired of the system – and so I want to offer people a choice."<br>That choice led Democrats to reportedly pivot to a prominent Indiana native who recently moved north to his husband’s home state.<br>At an event with Detroit autoworkers, one man shouted a question about the Lions – rather than Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s home-state Colts – which the AP illustrated as a potential challenge for the Traverse City newcomer to connect with Michiganders if he decides to run.<br>Another man at the event praised Buttigieg’s willingness to be "one of the few" politicians to speak to both liberal and conservative media audiences.<br>Buttigieg <a href="https://x.com/Cappelletti7/status/1853192331706675379">has said</a> he won’t make any official political decisions on "how to make myself useful" until after his current boss, President Biden, leaves office, but has been contacted by several Michigan Democrats about entering the race.<br>Duggan’s announcement, however, was met with derision from Michigan Secretary of State <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawmakers-slam-sba-stonewalling-over-michigan-voter-memo-one-week-go-more-claims-surface" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jocelyn Benson</a>, another potential Democratic contender.<br>"In moments like this, we don't flee from the party, but we stay and fix it," Benson told <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/democrat-jocelyn-benson-reacts-mike-duggans-independent-bid">FOX-2</a>, which reported she is considering tossing her hat in the ring.<br>Andrew Feldman, a Democratic strategist in the Great Lakes State, told the AP that people are "shocked and angry" at Duggan for eschewing the Democratic Party label.<br>"Many view this as a serious situation where Mike Duggan could put the governor’s mansion in the hands of Republicans and roll back years of progress," he said.<br>While the left wing is divided between Duggan’s independent run and jockeying to fill the Democratic row on the ballot, the Republican race appears wide open.<br>"You know what, [20]26 is always in the back of my mind, but right now, we’re focused on [20]24," conservative media host Tudor Dixon – the 2022 Republican nominee – <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/republican-tudor-dixon-not-ruling-out-running-governor-2026-race">said just before</a> the presidential election when asked about running again.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-small-business-panel-releases-report-biden-electioneering" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>HOUSE PANEL RELEASES YEAR-END REPORT ON BIDEN-MICHIGAN ELECTIONEERING CONTROVERSY</strong></a><br><span>Michigan businessman and quality control expert Perry Johnson, a potential 2024 GOP candidate.</span> <span>(AP )</span><br>Other names floated in the Michigan press include businessman Perry Johnson – who briefly ran for president on the GOP line in 2024 – businessman Kevin Rinke, and several sitting GOP lawmakers.<br>Adding to the electoral uncertainty were Michigan’s 2024 split results, as voters there chose both Republican President-elect Trump and Democratic Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin from the top-tier races. <br>As for Whitmer, reports have viewed her as a top contender in the 2028 Democratic presidential contest, along with several other governors, like Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, California’s Gavin Newsom, North Carolina’s Roy Cooper, Maryland’s Wes Moore, Illinois’ JB Pritzker and Minnesota’s Tim Walz.<br>Fox News Digital reached out to the Michigan GOP, Michigan Democrats <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/infrastructure-racist-highways-buttigieg-the-five" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and Buttigieg’s</a> office for comment.<br>Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. <br>He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. <br>Charles covers <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media" target="_blank">media</a>, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics" target="_blank">politics</a> and culture for Fox News Digital.<br>Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.<br>Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.<br>By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a>, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.<br>Subscribed<br> You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! <br> This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by <a href="https://www.factset.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_factset">Factset</a>. 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