LANSING, MI — Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is ending his Republican bid for an open U.S. Senate seat representing Michigan, just over four months after launching his campaign, he told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Craig was seen as one of the highest-profile candidates to enter the race when he announced his campaign in October, trying to win the support of former President Donald Trump, whose endorsement often fueled Republican Party primaries has won.
“This is strictly a business decision,” Craig told AP by phone. “I’m not leaving because I felt like I didn’t get the support. But from a business point of view you need money to run a campaign.”
Craig added that he is “strongly considering” running in next year’s Detroit mayoral election.
In addition to leading the police department in Michigan’s largest city for eight years, Craig was also a leading GOP candidate for governor in 2022 before fraudulent signatures on campaign papers derailed his campaign.
His senatorial campaign struggled to gain momentum. According to the latest financial reports filed last month, Craig had raised just $60,581 by the end of 2023, well less than other Senate candidates.
Republicans are vying for a chance to replace the U.S. Senate’s third-highest ranking Democrat, Debbie Stabenow, who announced in January she would retire after her fourth term. Michigan has long been considered a swing state where Republicans have had success in the past, but the party has not won a U.S. Senate race since 1994.
Craig’s withdrawal thins out the crowded Republican field, which also includes former U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers and Peter Meijer. Detroit businessman Sandy Pensler launched his second campaign for Senate in December.
Rogers has led their fundraising efforts, raising nearly $2 million since announcing his campaign in September. Rogers said in a statement following Craig’s announcement that he would seek advice from the former police chief on how we can work together to bring a better and safer future for all Michiganders.
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin is considered the favorite to win the nomination and has dominated other candidates in fundraising — raising $11.7 million between her campaign launch in February 2023 and the end of that year brought in.
Craig retired as Detroit’s police chief in 2021 to run for governor. He was considered the favorite in the 2022 elections, but he and four others were kept off the ballot due to the fraudulent signatures on the nomination petitions.
Three people have been charged with forgery and other crimes related to the signatures, but no candidate has been personally accused of knowingly filing fraudulent petitions.