Is Detroit prepared to elect its first female mayor? Sheffield has thrived despite history
The last time a female candidate was on the mayoral general election ballot in Detroit, "Jurassic Park" was the No. 1 movie in the country and the average cost of gas was $1.17 a gallon.
A lot has changed since 1993, when Sharon McPhail lost to former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer, but one thing hasn't: A woman has yet to lead Michigan's largest city.
That could change as Detroit voters head to the polls Tuesday to elect a new mayor for the first time in more than a decade. They'll have a historic choice either way: electing the city's first female mayor in City Council President Mary Sheffield or electing an active church pastor new to politics, the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.
The significance of possibly becoming Detroit's first female mayor doesn't appear to be lost on Sheffield or her supporters. When she won the August primary with more than 50% of the vote, she was greeted by chants of "first female mayor." Even her grandmother noted that her grandchild could become the city's first female mayor as they headed to the polls to vote in early August.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2025/10/31/despite-detroit-mary-sheffields-success-women-politics-still-face-challenges-experts/86933820007/