MICHIGAN, USA — With results from the Aug. 2 primary election coming in, Michigan leaders are reacting, including Republican gubernatorial candidates and the office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
In the race for the GOP gubernatorial spot, Tudor Dixon won with 41% of the votes, and will face Gov. Whitmer in November. Dixon, a former steel industry executive and conservative talk show host, has emphasized education and abortion issues during her campaign.
Dixon's polling before the election was boosted by a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump. She has also been backed by the DeVos family.
Gov. Whitmer's office released a statement after the race was called, saying that Dixon's platform is not right for the state.
"Tudor Dixon has made clear that she will drag Michigan backwards. Dixon’s plans to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother and throw nurses in jail, gut funding for public education, reverse progress rebuilding Michigan’s infrastructure and sow distrust in our democracy are dangerous for Michigan women and families," the statement said, going on to tout Gov. Whitmer's efforts to improve infrastructure, cut costs and protect abortion rights.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Garrett Soldano, who garnered 19% of the votes, released a statement supporting Dixon. He urged voters to vote Republican in November in an effort to oust Gov. Whitmer.
"As I have stated from the beginning, Republicans throughout the state must be focused on retiring Gretchen Whitmer," said Soldano. "I will be casting my vote for Tudor Dixon in November. I call on all Republicans to continue fighting, and together we will defeat Gretchen Whitmer in November."
Gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley denied the results of the race, in which he received 16% of the votes. In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, Kelley said he is not conceding the race and demanded a recount.
"Looks like the 'testing' was not testing after all, and it was a release of their preferred and predetermined outcome. NOT CONCEDING!" the post reads, referencing mock election results that were accidentally published by two local TV stations. "Let’s see the GOP and the predetermined winner call for a publicly supervised hand recount to uphold election integrity."
Ryan Kelley told 13 ON YOUR SIDE in an interview leading up to the primary election that he did not believe the 2020 election in Michigan legitimate and that he believes that President Biden did not win the 2020 election.
In the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat, Trump-endorsed John Gibbs won against incumbent Peter Meijer. Meijer faced backlash after voting to impeach Trump in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection, which happened days after taking the seat.
Gibbs held roles in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was tapped as acting assistant secretary of the department during the Trump administration.
"After we got the good news and the race was called, we did get a call from President Trump, who just wanted to congratulate me," Gibbs said. "He was very excited and said get back to work hard real soon, because it's going to be tough going into November, and we know that, and we're gonna be ready for it, so I think it'll be a good race."
Gibbs will face Democrat Hillary Scholten in November.
Scholten released a statement before the results were finalized, calling for the winner of the race to debate her.
"The voters of Michigan’s Third Congressional District deserve to hear first-hand from my opponent why the Michigan and national GOP continue to put party politics over people’s lives and livelihoods. I’m ready to get to work to tackle the difficult issues facing West Michigan head-on,” said Scholten. “I look forward to discussing my positions, and I’m confident when presented with the decision of who best to represent West Michigan in Congress, voters will clearly see that I’ve got the experience, vision, and values to best lead West Michigan forward.”
To see more results from the election, click here.
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