[3] He is a member of the Supreme Council of the Liberal Democratic Party,[4] and was a candidate for mayor of Moscow in the 2013 and 2018 elections.

[15] On 2 March 2016, Vladimir Zhirinovsky called Degtyarev one of the possible candidates for the post of President of Russia from Liberal Democratic Party in the elections of 2018.

[16] Degtyarev was sent to Khabarovsk by Vladimir Putin to replace the popular local governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on 9 July 2020.

[18] In September 2022, residents of the region started a petition proposing to remove Degtyarev from the post of governor and send him to fight in the war in Ukraine, which was signed by several tens of thousands of people.

[19] On 14 May 2024 he was appointed as Minister of Sport for Russia and left his position as Governor of Khabarovsk Krai.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, speaking to the participants of the conference of the Moscow branch of the Liberal Democratic Party, said: "Our candidate is Mikhail Degtyarev, Deputy of the State Duma.

Educated man, graduated from several universities, master of sports in fencing, a father with many children — he has three sons.