GRAND RAPIDS – In a speech similar to Detroit earlier in the day, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig continued a series of campaign announcements for the Michigan governor in front of a crowd of a few dozen supporters in Grand Rapids Tuesday night.
Craig, 65, is one of several Republicans to announce campaigns to challenge current Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer in next year’s gubernatorial election. He told attendees at the Kent County GOP headquarters near downtown Grand Rapids that his plan would be to “lead from scratch” when elected next fall.
“Michigan is in many ways the birthplace of the American middle class and the embodiment of the American dream,” said Craig. “… Unfortunately, this promise, this American dream, seems so unusual to so many people. It’s a problem.”
Craig has blown Whitmer’s handling of the Michigan coronavirus pandemic and blamed her government for the problems of small businesses. He also criticized “radical” Democrats and targeted frequently attacked ideas such as critical racial theory and masking requirements for children in schools.
More:Protesters crowd the podium as James Craig campaigns for governor
Grand Rapids was Craig’s second stop on Tuesday after his first announcement, planned in Detroit, derailed from local protesters. He ended up making remarks in a separate place in town. The Craig campaign canceled a scheduled event in Flint Tuesday afternoon.
While Tuesday marked the official start of Craig’s campaign, he had said for months that he planned to face Whitmer next year. Craig made several appearances on the FOX News show “Tucker Carlson Tonight”.
After Tuesday’s protests on Belle Isle, his campaign tweeted that he would appear on the show that evening, and also used pictures of protesters surrounding Craig as a call for donations.
After completing prepared remarks at Grand Rapids, which lasted a little over ten minutes, Craig said he planned to look into what he described as the deterioration in the police force job and the rise in drug and alcohol use.
Craig also advocated a “forensic examination” of the results of the 2020 presidential election in Michigan – similar to the one in Arizona. Calls for such a review have been widely criticized by election officials and experts who have described the process as a challenge to the integrity of state elections.
More:Calls for a “forensic review” of the Michigan elections are not very legitimate, says one expert
More:The inquiry cited by the Michigan Republicans rejects Trump’s claim that the November 3 election was stolen
Michigan officials, both Republican and Democratic, did not point to any evidence of widespread electoral fraud in last year’s election.
Several Republicans have announced candidacies for gubernatorial elections in August 2022. In addition to Craig, the conservative radio host Tudor Dixon, the real estate agent and right-wing rally organizer Ryan Kelley and the self-proclaimed entrepreneur Austin Chenge have candidates.
Whitmer has not made a formal offer for re-election but has hinted at a future announcement beforehand. The first-term governor is also unlikely to face a major challenger before next November’s elections.
– Contact Arpan Lobo at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo.
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