LANSING, Mich. — A crowded field of 10 Republican candidates running for Governor of Michigan was whittled down to five after several candidates failed to meet the threshold of signatures to get on the ballot.
The field of the five remaining candidates were very close in the polls for much of the primary season, but today Michiganders made their choice for the Republican candidate for Governor.
The Associated Press has declared Tudor Dixon as the winner of the Republican primary for Governor of Michigan.
Dixon pulled away from the other five candidates as results came in on Tuesday evening.
Dixon earned former President Trump's endorsement just days before the primary, boosting her poll numbers leading up to the contest.
The mother of four made education a top issue of her campaign, saying she wants to keep drag queens and talk of sex and gender out of elementary schools. She opposes abortion, except to save the life of the mother, and says Michigan should eliminate the requirement for permits to carry concealed weapons.
Dixon is a former steel industry executive who also hosted a conservative program on a streaming channel and once acted in low-budget zombie movies in what her campaign described as an “admittedly lame” hobby. She also has backing from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, several anti-abortion groups, and the prominent Michigan Republican family of Betsy DeVos, who was education secretary in Trump's Cabinet but was critical of him and resigned after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Trump's endorsement drew new criticism from other candidates, who have blasted Dixon as the “establishment” pick. They include real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who pleaded not guilty to misdemeanors in the Capitol riot; chiropractor Garrett Soldano; and former auto dealership owner Kevin Rinke. Pastor Ralph Rebandt also is running.
In a Facebook video, Soldano called Dixon a “vulnerable RINO,” an acronym for Republican in name only. He predicted he will win with the help of a “grassroots army” that came together when Soldano organized protests against Whitmer's COVID-19 restrictions.
“We will not vanish without a fight. This is our party. This is our state. This is our country,” Soldano said.
Dixon will face off against Democrat incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the general election in November.
When we spoke with Dixon leading up to the primary election and asked her how she would win votes from independents and Democrats in November. This is how she responded:
"I think it's our family-friendly plan [that] will win people over, when we talk about making sure that there's no wrong path for a child in education. Making sure that parents are involved, making sure that we have safe cities, and also the government is not interfering with business, but coming alongside business as a partner. We need to bring a million people back to the state. And I think that our independents and our Democrats are aware of that as they see the population declining. So talking to them about a plan that not only helps them but will draw more people here so that we can increase that tax base, and we can lower costs for every Michigander as long as we have more people here. I think that's the way to reach across the aisle and I believe that we'll be able to."
Dixon celebrated her victory at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids with her campaign staff and supporters.
Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Grand Rapids and Mike Householder in Delhi Township contributed to this report.
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