Former Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker said Monday he is not a candidate to become the emergency manager of Detroit, disputing published reports to the contrary.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced March 1 he would name an emergency manager as soon as the end of the month to take control of the financially troubled Motor City, which is teetering on bankruptcy.

Snyder reportedly has a short list of candidates for the job. Published reports beginning in February, including by Reuters, placed Baker on it. A Democrat, Baker spent 13 years as Georgia’s AG until 2010, when he left office after an unsuccessful run for governor.

The reports are not true, Baker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email Monday.

“I am NOT a candidate for the emergency manager job in Detroit,” he wrote, using his own emphasis. “Don’t know how this rumor got started but it is absolutely not true.”

Baker is a partner in powerhouse law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge. He keeps offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., with a practice focused on corporate compliance and public policy.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Derek Dooley speaks at a campaign stop next to Gov. Brian Kemp, second from left, and First Lady Marty Kemp, left, at a parking lot of Dawson Hall on the University of Georgia campus before Georgia’s season football opener against Marshall, Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Athens, Ga. Kemp endorsed Republican Derek Dooley in Georgia’s 2026 U.S. Senate race. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

An aerial view captures a large area under construction for a new data center campus on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Developed by QTS, the data center campus near Fayetteville is one of the largest under construction in Georgia. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez