DETROIT – A poll of likely voters revealed who leads the Detroit mayoral race about two months before the primary election.
A list of candidates were read in alphabetical order over the phone to participants of the poll. They were asked who they would vote to become Detroit’s mayor if they had to vote on that day (poll conducted May 27-29).
If voters said they didn’t know, they were asked which way they leaned in that moment.
Here are the results:
- Jonathan Barlow -- 1.4%
- James Craig -- 9.1%
- Fred Durhal -- 1.6%
- Joel Haashiim -- 0.6%
- Saunteel Jenkins -- 8.1%
- Solomon Kinloch, Jr. -- 14%
- Todd Perkins -- 4.3%
- Mary Sheffield -- 38.4%
- DaNetta Simpson -- 0.6%
- Don’t know/refused -- 22%
The poll also asked participants whether they’ve heard of each candidate. If they had, they were asked whether their opinion of that candidate is favorable or unfavorable.
Here are those results:
Mary Sheffield:
- Heard, favorable: 63.2%
- Heard, unfavorable: 4.5%
- Heard, no opinion: 24.2%
- Never heard: 8.1%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0%
Saunteel Jenkins:
- Heard, favorable: 37.2%
- Heard, unfavorable: 7.1%
- Heard, no opinion: 30.7%
- Never heard: 25%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0%
Fred Durhal:
- Heard, favorable: 16.1%
- Heard, unfavorable: 7.9%
- Heard, no opinion: 24.4%
- Never heard: 51.2%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0.4%
James Craig:
- Heard, favorable: 26.6%
- Heard, unfavorable: 37.6%
- Heard, no opinion: 18.5%
- Never heard: 17.3%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0%
Solomon Kinloch, Jr.:
- Heard, favorable: 38.8%
- Heard, unfavorable: 11.8%
- Heard, no opinion: 27%
- Never heard: 22.2%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0.2%
Todd Perkins:
- Heard, favorable: 19.3%
- Heard, unfavorable: 7.5%
- Heard, no opinion: 27%
- Never heard: 45.9%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0.4%
Joel Haashiim:
- Heard, favorable: 4.5%
- Heard, unfavorable: 5.7%
- Heard, no opinion: 17.9%
- Never heard: 71.7%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0.2%
Jonathan Barlow:
- Heard, favorable: 12.6%
- Heard, unfavorable: 6.1%
- Heard, no opinion: 20.1%
- Never heard: 61.2%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0%
DaNetta Simpson:
- Heard, favorable: 7.5%
- Heard, unfavorable: 6.1%
- Heard, no opinion: 14.8%
- Never heard: 71.5%
- Don’t know/ refused: 0.2%
Poll methodology
WDIV and the Detroit News commissioned a survey of likely August 2025 primary election voters within the city of Detroit. The poll was conducted y The Glengariff Group, Inc.
It was a 500 sample, live operator telephone survey from May 27-29, 2025.
The margin of error is +/- 4%, and there is a 95% level of confidence.
Of the respondents, 10.4% were called via landline telephone, and 89.6% were called on a cellphone.
