Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon have squared off in a debate. Speaking Thursday, the two sparred over issues ranging from abortion to school safety to crime to the roads. Kicking things off, the two were asked what limits they support on abortion. Whitmer said she’s been fighting to maintain the current rules, noting she filed a lawsuit to keep a 1931 near-total abortion ban from taking effect.
“We know that our fundamental rights are very much at risk right now,” Whitmer said. “I am fighting to protect our right to choose. My lawsuit would have kept the law as it is. Our Legislature wouldn’t take action and so now we have a ballot initiative to vote on. I will be voting yes.”
Dixon said she supports allowing abortion for the life of the mother. Would she respect the result if Proposal 3, to protect abortion rights, passes?
“I will always respect the will of the voter,” Dixon said. “I don’t believe that there are laws that I am above. Unlike the governor here, who said on multiple occasions that ‘If there’s a law out there that I don’t agree with, I think I should be able to go around it,’ and Dana Nessel, who has also decided to go around laws, I don’t believe in that.”
Dixon alleges the roads haven’t been getting fixed, while Whitmer said that’s ridiculous.
“I think the evidence is all across the state, despite what Mrs. Dixon’s commercials say,” Whitmer said. “We are fixing the damn roads, we are moving dirt, we are using the right mix and materials, and they are built to last. But you don’t overcome decades of disinvestment overnight. We recognize that there is a lot of good work to do. When you see those orange barrels, see that as a sign of progress and remember to please slow down.”
Turning to education, Whitmer said the state has made record investments in the classroom during her administration. Dixon called for tutoring programs and a return to traditional learning.
“Parents are really concerned about what their kids are being taught with this sex and gender theory, and not teaching them to read, write, and do math,” Dixon said. “We’ve made it very clear. We want parents involved in the child’s education, and we want to go back to basics.”
Dixon said the state should invest some of its record stash of funds in “hardening” the classroom to make schools safer. She also alleged that during the worst of COVID, Whitmer wouldn’t listen to anyone who wanted relief from lockdowns while the state’s economy and its residents suffered. Whitmer said the administration’s actions saved lives. The debate aired on WOOD-TV out of Grand Rapids.
