Michigan Matters: Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel eyeing gubernatorial run
(CBS DETROIT) — With the ink barely dry on stories about Election 2024, a growing cadre of folks, including Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, are looking at the evolving political landscape.
Hackel, the former Macomb County Sheriff, said the results of the 2024 contest are giving him more confidence than ever that he has the right stuff and resumé to be governor. It's the second time he's talked about running for the job. In 2017, he toyed with the idea, but it didn't go very far.
"Hackel didn't follow through after the Democratic powers threw their support behind Gretchen Whitmer," who would go on to win, said Ed Sarpolus, pollster and executive director of Target Insyght, who also appeared on this week's Michigan Matters.
Whitmer is term-limited and has two years left.
No doubt the 2026 governor's race is getting a little more attention after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced last week he would not seek reelection in 2025. Though the Democrat did not say what his future plans might be, most pundits believe he's looking to run for governor.
The open governor's race could be crowded with folks like Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Rep. John James, and businessman Perry Johnson, among the names mentioned by pundits.
Hackel, a moderate Democrat, is from Macomb County, which has been a sought-after county on the national stage since Ronald Reagan won the presidency by turning the blue county red with auto worker support as the term "Reagan Democrats" was coined.
Susy Avery, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, who knows Macomb County politics (her dad was the former mayor of Mt. Clemens), also appeared on the show and said of Hackel, "He has worked well with Republicans like Candice Miller (a Republican and Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County) and U.S. Rep. John James in defending Selfridge (to gain more defense contracts). He's also brought in a lot of investment to the county."
On other races, Hackel, Avery and Sarpolus discussed a big one coming up in 2025 — mayor of Detroit. They spoke about candidates — some who have said they are interested and others who might be considering it.
(Watch Michigan Matters at its new time: 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit, 9:30 a.m. Sundays on Detroit 50 WKBD.)
(Carol Cain is the 13-time Emmy-winning senior producer and host of Michigan)