In collaboration with detroitography, the Greater Detroit-Windsor Project (GDWP) circulated a questionnaire for candidates running for the November 2025 local elected office in Metropolitan Detroit, to gauge interest in regional collaboration. GDWP connected with clerks in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, and Livingston counties and received contact information for over 350 candidates for local office, in the leadup to the August primary and November general election.
Beginning on July 4, 2025, and followed by five rounds of email through the end of September, GDWP received 60 responses total, of which 55 could be counted as unique and complete. A handful of candidates responded directly with declinations and inquiries, including one request to meet in person to learn more about the project.
Candidates who responded constitute a representative broad swath of Southeast Michigan, with Detroit (10) and Pontiac (7) producing the most responses - interestingly, nearly half of respondents who reported growing up in Metro Detroit, said they grew up in the City of Detroit proper.
The high level responses worth sharing include results from these questions:
For a more in-depth analysis of the candidate questionnaire results, please check out the post on our affiliated Substack.
For a complete list of candidate responses, please see this Google sheet.