AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer finally has a Republican challenger for 2022 – Austin Chenge, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 from Nigeria, and has lived in Grand Rapids since. A product and software design entrepreneur, he has never held public office, and told Michigan Public Radio he wants to “be a breath of fresh air” for Michigan, has visited every county in the state, and was motivated to run against the well-funded governor, who currently has a war chest of $3.5 million, by her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. If elected, Chenge would be the first Black governor of Michigan. While Republicans want to usurp Gov. Whitmer in 2022, as one Republican said, very few are currently willing to go to the mat against her.