Michigan’s primary election is Tuesday, August 2nd. (MLive File Photo)
This week‘s political roundup looks forward as we count down to the final days leading up to the Michigan primary on Tuesday, August 2.
The most prominent statewide primary race is a face-off between the five GOP gubernatorial candidates to see who will challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the Nov. 8 general election.
The candidates — Garrett Soldano, Ralph Rebandt, Kevin Rinke, Tudor Dixon and Ryan Kelly — made their final arguments days before the primary during a debate in Pontiac Wednesday night.
Soldano, a Mattawan chiropractor, ran a platform framed by Whitmer’s response to the pandemic. His campaign is basically, to hear Soldano tell it, tyranny versus freedom, prosperity versus isolation.
Related: Can Garrett Soldano expand beyond his ‘grassroots army’ and become governor?
Instead of focusing on economic issues or culture wars, as other candidates have done, Rebandt, the Farmington Hills pastor, is appealing to voters in moral and spiritual terms. He believes Michigan’s “culture” is in fundamental need of repair.
Related: Ralph Rebandt wants to make sure Michigan gets God in November
Rinke is a wealthy businessman from Bloomfield Hills who is new to politics. He jumped into the Michigan governor’s race because of dissatisfaction with the direction of the state and spent millions of his own money on his campaign. His pitch to Michiganders is a promise to restore the state’s climate for business and education.
Related: Kevin Rinke thinks business savvy and a big tax cut set him apart in the governor’s race
Dixon has emerged as a possible GOP gubernatorial frontrunner in recent polls. The Norton Shores commentator’s platform is aligning the longtime priorities of conservative statecraft — school choice, deregulation and workforce development — with populists and MAGA believers, banking on the culture wars and courting the support of former President Donald Trump.
Related: Tudor Dixon walks tightrope in gubernatorial bid
Since he was led from his Allendale Township home in handcuffs by the FBI in early June, Kelley’s hope to become Michigan’s next governor rests on a bet — that Michiganders don’t really care what happened in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Realtor, Kelley’s Message on “medical freedom” after the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic – which have since been almost all lifted – is a tent pole of his campaign.
Related: Ryan Kelley is confident he can beat Gretchen Whitmer and federal charges
With the election just around the corner, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is recommending that voters with absentee ballots return them in person instead of mailing them in.
Related: Haven’t Submitted Your Absentee Ballot Yet? Michigan SOS says to leave him now
“One week before the voting deadline, voters who have received but not yet returned their absentee ballot should drop it off at their clerk’s office or drop it off at their local ballot box,” Benson said Tuesday.
She recommends returning your absentee ballot in person because it can take too long in the mail. Ballots must be received by your local clerk by the close of polls on Election Day at 8 p.m. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
If you are voting in person, check the Michigan Voter Information Center to verify your voter registration and find your polling place.
Want to know what’s on your ballot locally? Below are details on the proposition, House, Senate and local races you’ll find on the ballot in your area:
Michigan voters also have access to candidate information and other voting resources through Vote411.org, a voter guide developed in partnership between MLive Media Group and the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan.
Follow MLive’s state politics team on Twitter to keep up with the latest election coverage: Alyssa Burr (@Alyssa_Burr), Ben Orner (@Ben_Orner), Jordyn Hermani (@JordynHermani) and Simon Schuster (@Simon_Schuster).
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