During a “Protect Democracy” rally in Troy Thursday evening, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) blasted GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon for “suppressing our freedoms.”
“We can’t underestimate the extremism of Dixon, suppressing our freedoms, suppressing our voting rights,” said Khanna at the Troy Community Center in Oakland County. “We need to give [Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer] a smashing victory.”
Tudor Dixon at a GOP gubernatorial debate in Warren, June 30, 2022 | Laina G. Stebbins
Dixon, who has been endorsed by GOP former President Donald Trump, has attracted national attention for saying that she does not support abortion even for a 14-year-old incest survivor. The Republican said in an interview last week on FOX-2 that she opposes abortion for rape victims because “there’s healing through the baby.” Whitmer supports abortion rights and has launched a court battle to block the state’s 1931 abortion ban.
Dixon also has voiced false claims of election fraud in the 2020 general election that Trump lost to President Joe Biden.
The Michigan GOP will hold its state convention on Saturday where it is set to formally nominate its ticket after a rocky week following Dixon’s announcement of her running mate, former state Rep. Shane Hernandez (R-Port Huron). The Rev. Ralph Rebandt, who lost to Dixon in the GOP gubernatorial primary, is also running for the LG slot.
Oakland County Republican Party Chair Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski was critical of Khanna’s visit to the area.
“We have a congressman from California telling us who we should vote for?” said Raczkowski. “These people are arrogant elitists.”
Khanna, a progressive first elected in 2016, also lifted up ethnic and racial diversity in America during his speech at the event that included members of the Michigan Democratic Party Coalitions Department, the Troy Democratic Club and the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Khanna is from Silicon Valley and is the son of immigrants from India.
“When I look at this room, I see the future of America,” he told a group of about 100 people. “It’s multi-racial, multi-ethnic.”
State Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy), a candidate for Michigan Senate District 9 | Ken Coleman
Earlier in the day, Khanna helped lead a U.S. House field hearing with U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) in Detroit centering on environmental pollution in the state’s largest city.
State Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy), who faces GOP former state Rep. Michael Webber in November in the 9th Senate District, also addressed attendees.
“I’m very happy to see you tonight but I want to see you knocking doors with me every single day between now and November,” said Kuppa.
Also attending were state House candidate Aisha Farooqui; state Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton); and Carl Marlinga, U.S. House Democratic nominee for the open 10th Congressional District.
Carl Marlinga, U.S. House Democratic nominee for District 10 | Ken Coleman
Marlinga, a former Macomb County prosecutor and judge, faces two-time U.S. Senate candidate and current GOP congressional nominee John James in November. The newly drawn seat includes portions of Macomb and Oakland counties.
Marlinga, who is generally considered a moderate Democrat, told the Advance that he is concerned about “incivility” in American politics.
“It’s really unfortunate that we have to be so shrill and angry all the time. You can respectfully disagree and debate issues, and have your policy differences.”
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authored by Ken Coleman
First published at https%3A%2F%2Fmichiganadvance.com%2F2022%2F08%2F26%2Fu-s-rep-khanna-we-cant-underestimate-the-extremism-of-dixon%2F
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