Never mind the 15.9 percent unemployment. Never mind that this city was just given the humiliating title of being the nation\'s poorest major city. Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick was not the first Detroit mayor in nearly 50 years to place second in a primary because of the economy. Instead, political observers here say, the mayoral race has turned on Mr. Kilpatrick\'s personal and political missteps. And on Thursday, at a debate that was supposed to focus on the economy, the topic quickly shifted to his image. The city is hurt if \"activities associated with the mayor, whether they be true or not true, get splattered in an unflattering way around the national media,\" declared Freman Hendrix, who outpolled Mr. Kilpatrick in the nonpartisan August primary. The election is Nov. 8. When Mr. Kilpatrick was elected four years ago, many voters saw him as a natural leader who could usher in the progress that Detroiters have been awaiting for decades. Rebuilding that image may be difficult. "He has charisma and that\'s one of the reasons he\'s done so well,\" said Lyke Thompson, director of the center for urban studies at Wayne State University in Detroit . \"But the car and all these other issues have been a challenge and have raised issues about his credibility.\"