LANSING, Mich. – The 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election is more than a year away, but there are already questions about who will and won’t be running.
As of May 21, 2021, there are about 12 people who will potentially run against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Of those, six have already declared their intent to run.
Garret Soldano is the co-chair of Unlock Michigan, a group adamantly opposed to Whitmer’s handling of the pandemic with close ties to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey.
Shirkey pulled his name from the race and former Congresswoman Candice Miller has too.
Tudor Dixon is a conservative commentator from Grand Rapids. She announced her candidacy Thursday. She’s a well-known face among the GOP with a radio and online show on a right-wing network. She’s a frequent critic of Whitmer and a loyalist to former President Donald Trump.
Former Michigan Speaker Lee Chatfield hasn’t said he won’t run.
John James is frequently talked about as a potential, but he’s lost two statewide elections already and that could potentially hurt his chances.
The biggest name on the Republican side is Detroit Police Chief James Craig. He hasn’t announce a Gubernatorial run, but sources told Local 4 that he has met with the Republican Governor’s Association and the head of the Michigan GOP.
The latest polling shows Whitmer ahead of Craig by 6 points.