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Is Mike Duggan Running For Governor?

LANSING (WWJ) - A day after ending his bid for mayor of Detroit, former Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan is being mentioned as a possible candidate for governor of Michigan.

Duggan on Wednesday officially announced that he was pulling out of the mayoral race after Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a decision that his name be removed from the primary election ballot. The court ruled that Duggan was not a resident and registered voter in Detroit for a year — as required by city charter — when he turned in his signatures to become an official candidate for mayor.

But Duggan's foreseeable political future might not be over, especially after speaking with some top Democrats, according to WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick.

"Duggan got a phone call last night from a prominent Democrat, a name that you would recognize, who will have a conversation as early as today with Mr. Duggan about considering running for governor," Skubick said.

It's not the first time elected political leaders have posed the opportunity to Duggan.

"Recall about four or five months ago, some Democrats went to Mr. Duggan before he announced he was running for mayor and said 'Why don't you run for governor instead?' He was adamant at the time saying 'No, I want to be mayor of Detroit,' but how did that work out? Not so well," Skubick said.

So far, there's been no word from Duggan's camp whether he would consider a run for the top seat in state government.

"Let's underscore here, this is speculation. He has not, obviously, made the decision [to run for governor], but he will be asked," Skubick said.

Currently, the only democratic candidate for governor is former Congressman Mark Schauer. The next governor's election is November 2014.

MORE: Mike Duggan Drops Out Of Race For Detroit Mayor

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