Right-wing commentator Tudor Dixon leads Tuesday night in GOP gubernatorial primary, likely setting her up to challenge Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the Nov. 8 general election.
Dixon’s primary lead comes after a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump on Friday amid a campaign season rife with Trumpian talking points and right-wing rhetoric.
With just 23% in as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dixon has taken a clear and early lead with 40.9% of the vote, but several analysts and the Michigan Republican Party has already declared her the winner. The party said on Twitter at 9:08 p.m. that she was “our candidate for governor.”
The Associated Press also called the race for Dixon at 9:41 p.m.
Kevin Rinke participates in a GOP gubernatorial debate on WKAR’s Off the Record, July 15, 2022 | Laina G. Stebbins
Trailing behind are businessman Kevin Rinke with 20.4%, chiropractor Garrett Soldano with 19.1%, far-right activist Ryan Kelley with 15.5% and the Rev. Ralph Rebandt with 4.1%.
Although less than a quarter of the votes have so far been counted, some analysts called the race for Dixon early — even before polls closed at 9 p.m. in four western Upper Peninsula precincts.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Michigan GOP abruptly canceled a watch party at a Lansing restaurant due to what spokesperson Gustavo Potela said were multiple threats to its building and staff.
Portela, who said that a bystander near the GOP party headquarters in Lansing threatened to shoot and burn the building down Tuesday morning, did not respond to a request for comment from the Advance asking whether the party has filed a police report about the alleged incidents.
Soldano conceded the race around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, telling supporters at his watch party, “I didn’t win.”
Dixon is one of just five GOP gubernatorial candidates to make it onto the Aug. 2 ballot, after the state Bureau of Elections (BOE) kicked off five more gubernatorial hopefuls whose signature collecting campaigns were marred with fraud.
Financial adviser Michael Markey, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, businesswoman Donna Brandenburg, self-described “quality guru” Perry Johnson and Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown did not make it onto the ballot.
Dixon has been routinely criticized by her fellow GOP contenders for being “establishment,” as she has landed the endorsement and financial backing — to the tune of about $1 million — of the wealthy and politically influential DeVos family.
She also gained endorsements from GOP former Michigan Gov. John Engler, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), as well as powerful right-wing groups like the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and Right to Life of Michigan.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, May 2019 | Andrew Roth
While other candidates vied for the Trump endorsement, Dixon was the only GOP gubernatorial candidate Trump mentioned by name during an April rally in Michigan. Trump praised her again during a fundraiser for Dixon in February.
All candidates have parroted Trump’s repeated lie that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Most, including Dixon, have falsely claimed that the election was stolen from Trump.
“Tonight we are dismayed to see the GOP celebrate and validate the gubernatorial candidacy of a well-known election denier, who has repeatedly shown she is a danger to our democracy,” said Nancy Wang, executive director of the nonpartisan group Voters Not Politicians.
authored by Laina G. Stebbins
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