Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, once a frontrunner for both governor and Senate, has once again dropped out of statewide race in Michigan. The rare Detroit Republican, James previously had a campaign meltdown during his run for governor in 2022 when he did not file paperwork correctly and was removed from the primary ballot.
Last fall, James threw his hat in the ring for Senate, but his campaign only lasted a few months.
The Associated Press writes that the once highly-anticipated Senate campaign has fizzled out, again.
Craig was seen as one of the more high-profile candidates to enter the race when he announced his campaign in October, and he had been angling to win the support of former President Donald Trump, who has often swung GOP primaries with his endorsement.
“This is strictly a business decision,” Craig told AP by phone. “I’m not leaving because I felt like I didn’t have the support. But from a business end, you need funds to run a campaign.”
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 paperwork derailed his campaign.
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.
The Detroit News reported that Craig’s campaign had $27,999 available to keep his campaign going. He told the newspaper that he needed to raise $350,000 to help gather enough signatures and ensure they were valid if he were to stay in the race.
“The reality is fundraising is a challenge right now,” Craig told the Detroit newspaper.
Republicans still have some other high-profile names running in hopes of taking back the Senate in 2024. Former head of the CIA Mike Rogers and Trump foe Pete Meijer have both entered race to replace Debbie Stabenow.
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