Unions flex muscles in Detroit mayor's race
Even as nine candidates are vying to become the next mayor of Detroit, only two so far are being closely watched in what is expected to be a contested race this fall.
Labor groups have taken notice of the fact that only the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., senior pastor of Triumph Church, and Mary Sheffield, president of the Detroit City Council, have the most organized political operations right now to make serious and credible claims to succeed outgoing mayor Mike Duggan.
For example, Monday, Kinloch’s campaign announced a very significant endorsement it received from UAW Region 1 and Region 1A, which, according to the campaign, represents more than 300,000 active and retired members. This is the largest endorsement made to date in Kinloch's bid to become the city’s next chief executive.
For a candidate who is not a career politician and who has launched his candidacy as a compassionate outsider playing to the gallery of faith and sound public policy, the backing of the United Auto Workers — the dominant labor group in the region — is no small feat.
What the endorsement says is that Kinloch, who over the years has built one of the largest and fastest growing Black churches in the nation to some 40,000 congregants, cannot be dismissed as simply a political novice.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/bankole-thompson/2025/05/14/thompson-unions-flex-muscles-in-detroit-mayors-race/83621611007/