Republican candidate for the Michigan House in the 38th District Kevin Whiteford is slamming Democratic opponent Joey Andrews over some tweets Andrews wrote in 2019 and 2020. Whiteford held a press conference Thursday to highlight comments Andrews made during the height of the George Floyd protests. In one dated May 30, 2020, Andrews tweeted, “Start winning local elections and defund police departments.” Whiteford disapproves.
“Joey Andrews should be ashamed of himself,” Whiteford said. “He has clearly shown that he despises the police department enough that he has consistently lashed out in support of defunding the police, which is not only despicable, but it is disqualifying.”
Andrews, for his part, says his words were not uncommon for the heated time. He took issue with Whiteford’s remarks earlier Thursday.
“If he’s so concerned about public safety, somebody needs ask him why he was at the Unlock Lansing rally when they were building a gallows for Whitmer, directing traffic in a MAGA hat,” Andrews said. “It feels to me like that’s a public safety issue unto itself that he was a lot less concerned about at the time.”
Whiteford was joined by the sheriffs of Berrien, Allegan, and Van Buren counties Thursday. He said Andrews is making excuses and his comments prove he doesn’t represent the values of the district.
