DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield will be the next mayor of Detroit, beating Triumph Church Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., according to a projection by the Associated Press.
Watch Mary Sheffield's speech after her projected win in the video below
Sheffield, 37, will be the first female mayor in the City of Detroit. As of 10:12 p.m., with 76% of precincts reporting, Sheffield has more than 77% of the vote compared to Kinloch's 22.39%.
The 2025 Detroit mayoral election originally had nine candidates before Sheffield and Kinloch won the August primary. She’ll take over for current Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who has served as mayor since 2014. He decided not to run for reelection and instead run as an independent for Michigan governor.
"Detroit, this is the great spirit of our city. A spirit that is alive and well tonight, which is why I know that we will rise higher," Sheffield said. "So tonight, our city adds another chapter to its great history. Throughout Detroit's 324-year history, 75 mayors have led this city. Not one has been a woman."
Watch our one-on-one interview with Mary Sheffield before the primary in the video below
Kinloch spoke around 9:45 p.m. and said, "I got in this race and when I ot in this race, I didn't get in for the privilege and the power. I didn't get in because I needed a job. I didn't get in to satisfy greed. I got in to meet the needs of the people. I got in because I wanted to make sure that at this crossroads, we built a city that was inclusive of us all. I stand here tonight with no regrets."
Watch Kinloch's full speech on Tuesday evening in the video player below
What will be the biggest difference Detroiters will see compared to Duggan’s administration?
"I think the last ten years has been about how do we get basic city services up and running," she said. "I think my administration is about, how do we rebuild?"
We also asked Sheffield in the interview what the one thing she would do in the first year that would define her legacy. She named three: raising the income, activating the commercial corridor and "significant structural property tax reform which means businesses and residents would have a reduction in taxes."
Watch below: Mary Sheffield speaks after voting in Tuesday's election
During a debate with Kinloch at WXYZ, we also asked her what she would do on day one to show Detroiters she’s ready to lead.
Sheffield responded, saying, "First and foremost, we have to have the best and the brightest around me, so I would assume within the first 100 days or more, we’re going to make sure we have effective and efficient leadership around me.”
She also said they would look at ways to enhance and improve city services, figure out ways to bring neighborhood city halls back and continue city-wide engagement.
