Former Police Chief James Craig to launch campaign for governor on Belle Isle Tuesday

Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Wednesday he plans to launch his Republican campaign for governor in Detroit on Tuesday, followed by other events around the state.

Craig said on Facebook he will appear at an event on Belle Isle in Detroit at 10 a.m. Tuesday, followed by events in Flint and Grand Rapids. The events are billed as his "campaign kickoff tour."

Craig, who is campaigning, in part, on how his department handled Detroit protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, formed what he called an "exploratory committee" to challenge Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on July 21 and said he would likely make an announcement after Labor Day. Though Craig said, "I'm running" during a TV appearance on Fox News that night, he appeared to pull back from that declaration in a July 22 radio interview and has been officially "in the exploratory phase of running for governor," according to his Grand Rapids-based political consultant, John Yob.

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Announced candidates seeking the Republican nomination so far include: Michigan State Police Capt. Mike Brown, of Stevensville; conservative cable TV commentator Tudor Dixon, of Muskegon County; Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano; Oakland County pastor Ralph Rebandt; Ottawa County real estate agent Ryan Kelley; Livingston County evangelist and substitute teacher Bob Scott; document specialist Articia Bomer, of Detroit; Lansing businessman Evan Space, and Grand Rapids entrepreneur and U.S. Army veteran Austin Chenge.

Asked at an August news conference whether he believes former Republican President Donald Trump's unfounded claim that the election was stolen, Craig said, "If there was evidence, if there was a proper investigation that the election was stolen ..." He then trailed off before stating, "I don't have that information."

Rodericka Applewhaite, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Democratic Party, said Craig promised he would hold a summer "listening tour" of Michigan before making an announcement, but the tour apparently never materialized.

"So far, his campaign has been nothing but the same scripted, canned talking points," she said. "And after nearly two months in this primary, voters are no closer to knowing where he stands on the fairness of our elections, abortion rights, infrastructure, or the Jan. 6 insurrection."

Though not held as public events, Craig has been traveling the state for several weeks, meeting with people and listening to their ideas, spokesman Ted Goodman said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.

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