APPLES & ORANGES

Speaking of running for governor, while neither Attorney General Bill Schuette nor Lt. Governor Brian Calley have officially announced they are running to be the Republican Party’s nominee in 2018, all that is left for either one are their formal announcements. While many Republican stalwarts had been quietly putting their money on Schuette to take on all comers, his star is looking a bit tarnished these days, with one lawmaker pointing out that Schuette has spent $2.3 million so far on his Flint water criminal and civil investigation, with few charges filed, many of which were mere misdemeanors. Internal polling is showing Democrat Gretchen Whitmer doing very well against both Schuette and Calley. “I think the Dems have a real good chance to take some of these higher seats,” the lawmaker opined. If rumored candidate Mark Bernstein throws his hat into the Democratic pile, which Bernstein said he is “seriously considering,” Republicans are privately saying all bets are off. Another unknown is wild card Geoffrey Feiger. During a taping of WKAR-TV’s “Off the Record” in May, the Southfield attorney said he was considering a run for governor. But Feiger’s previously said he was considering a run for that office in 2002, 2005, 2010 and 2011. He famously lost to incumbent John Engler in 1998. He has maintained his candidate committee, and recent records show that the committee owes more than $5 million in debt to Fieger, which it received over the years, most dating back to the late 1990s.