MI-GOV: Duggan (I) says he won't direct nonprofit aiding his governor campaign to disclose donors
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan declined on Tuesday to direct the nonprofit organization that's been backing his independent campaign for Michigan governor to report the names of its donors to the public.
"I don't direct anybody," Duggan told reporters after an event inside Michigan Central in Detroit. "I tell everybody they need to follow the law."
In Michigan, state law allows nonprofits that don't expressly tell people which candidate to vote for or against to keep their contributors' identities secret and to work closely with campaigns. With more than a year to go before the November 2026 election, a nonprofit called Put Progress First has been funding billboards across the state and digital ads promoting Duggan as "American's most effective mayor."
Nonprofits raising money on behalf of key Michigan politicians has been a frequent occurrence over the years. However, in races for governor, traditionally, much of the money usually flows through committees that provide at least some form of disclosure or national groups focused on electing members of their party, like the Republican Governors Association or the Democratic Governors Association.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/20/detroit-mayor-mike-duggan-secret-money-governor-campaign-put-progress-first/85738087007/