(WWJ) - Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is planning to run for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, according to two people familiar with the topic.
The seat, which has been in Democratic control for over two decades, is being vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.
Stabenow, the first woman elected to the Senate from Michigan, announced early this year that she won’t seek reelection and will retire when her fourth term ends in 2025.
Last year, Craig entered the race to be the GOP candidate for governor, to square off against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
His run ended when he and four other candidates were left off the ballot due to fraudulent petition signatures. It was found that all five Republican candidate hopefuls were short of the 15,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot.
Three people have been charged in relation to the phony signatures. More than three dozen ballot circulators were identified by the Michigan Bureau of Elections for turning in fake signatures.
U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin and former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers are also hoping to win the open Senate seat.