Is Duggan the GOP candidate for Detroit mayor?

In the wake of the Detroit primary election, it’s interesting that in some circles -- widely varying circles, from a political standpoint – Mike Duggan is now viewed as the de facto Republican candidate for mayor.

For example, late last week former Michigan Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer sent a tweet that dismissed Duggan’s remarkable write-in win, claiming that his big fundraising advantage was the reason for the candidate’s success.

Certainly, many political observers have taken note of Duggan’s big cash haul from big business, including executives of the Republican persuasion. 
Of course, labeling Duggan as the closest thing to a GOP candidate for Motown mayor is a bit bizarre, considering his longtime association with the late Ed McNamara, who ran Wayne County's Democratic machine for years.

Here’s how Dennis Lennox, a conservative GOP activist, sized up the situation in his column for the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun:

“… What was surprising was the number of prominent Republicans, who were quietly and not so quietly helping the would-be mayor. Even Gov. Rick Snyder’s remarks in the wake of Duggan’s mayoral primary victory were warmer than one might think, though surely this has nothing to do with the fact that some of his (Snyder’s) biggest backers are funding the Duggan campaign.

“One could dismiss all this as the establishment of both parties putting partisan differences aside for the interests of Michigan’s first city. That may make for a great talking point, but there’s probably something else at work here.

“Considering the improbability of a GOP candidate winning any of the city’s elected offices, the few Republicans living or doing business in Detroit likely made a strategic calculation to settle for what crumbs they might receive by getting behind Duggan.

“He may be more pragmatic than mayoral rival Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, but Duggan is hardly a post-partisan. His ambitions for the governor’s mansion are widely known. … The prospects of a Duggan candidacy in 2018 are very strong.”