Mary Sheffield has made history after being elected as Detroit’s first woman mayor, claiming a decisive victory in Tuesday’s election.
The 38-year-old City Council president secured more than 77% of the vote in a race that marked a defining moment for the Motor City. Sheffield’s win makes her the first woman to lead Detroit in its 210-year history.
“Tonight, our city adds another chapter to its great history…75 mayors have led this city. Not one has been a woman. But tonight, Detroit, as we know that changes. And you changed it, Detroit,” Sheffield said in her victory speech.
Sheffield, who was first elected to the City Council in 2013 at the age of 26, has served as council president since 2022. Her campaign focused heavily on community investment, housing, and public safety, which are priorities that helped secure broad support across the city.
“I don’t take for granted that I stand on the shoulders of so many warrior women who have prayed, who have sacrificed, just for us to be here in this moment,” she said. “A torch carried from one generation to the next. And so I say to every little girl watching tonight. And to every child in this city. Never doubt yourself. You are gifted. You are powerful.”
Her victory continues a family legacy of activism and leadership. Her father, Horace Sheffield III, is a pastor and long-time civil rights advocate, while her grandfather, Horace Sheffield Jr., co-founded the UAW Inter-Racial Committee in 1941 to combat racial discrimination in the workplace. He also helped link Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Detroit’s labour movement and participated in the city’s historic 1963 Walk to Freedom.
Sheffield will officially assume office in January 2026, succeeding three-term mayor Mike Duggan, who chose not to run again and is instead standing as an independent candidate in Michigan’s upcoming gubernatorial race. Duggan endorsed Sheffield shortly after she won the Detroit mayoral primary in August.
She takes charge of a city still in recovery but showing signs of resurgence following Detroit’s exit from bankruptcy in 2014. Detroit recorded 203 homicides in 2024, its lowest number since 1965, a 19% decline from the previous year. The city has also achieved 12 consecutive balanced budgets, while its population has begun to rise again after decades of decline.
Setting out her vision for the next chapter, Sheffield said: “Together, we will invest in every corner of our city.” She added, “Rebuilding our neighborhoods, investing in our commercial corridors. Every family will feel supported. Every child will have a path to reach their full potential.”
