WHO DAT?

While Michigan Republicans are excited – actually, they’re positively gleeful – over the imminent gubernatorial race of former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, he is not the only Republican who is running against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2022. Conservative media host Tudor Dixon announced she will be running, posting on Twitter in late May, “I am excited to announce that I am running for governor to get Michigan back on track. We will restore our state and help Michiganders build their American Dream once again!” Dixon, of Norton Shores, south of Muskegon, hosts a daily show called “America’s Voice Live!” on Real America’s Voice, an online media platform which is “a platform for patriots all across America who care about traditional values.” No surprise, Dixon was a vocal critic of Whitmer’s pandemic restrictions. On Twitter, Dixon indicated she met with former President Trump recently, stating he has a lot of power among Republicans. “He has a lot of influence over what happens,” she said at a news conference following her campaign announcement. Let’s just assume she believes Trump’s “Big Lie” over last November’s election. Another relative unknown in the mix, Garrett Soldano, a Mattawan chiropractor who served as co-chair of the Unlock Michigan campaign, which successfully ran a petition drive to repeal a 1945 law which had allowed the governor to declare – and keep in place – a state of emergency during the pandemic. With all restrictions scheduled to end July 1, will anti-pandemic curbs still hold water with voters next year?