HOWELL, Mich. – Eight GOP Gubernatorial hopefuls had a chance to woo primary voters at the Livingston County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner.
A debate, of sorts, was the feature of the evening.
Each candidate had the opportunity to answer a question posed by the moderators and then, in the end, was given a specific question just for them. Questions ranged from what abortion law they would support to whether the state should stop funding public universities.
All the candidates are anti-abortion.
“I believe in exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” said Kevin Rinke.
Others like Ralph Renandt told the crowd that they don’t believe any exceptions should be made.
Candidates were split on whether COVID-19 vaccines were helpful. Rinke called them political science. Others like Perry Johnson and Tudor Dixon do believe there was some benefit.
“I also believe the data shows there were certain people that their lives were saved because they had the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dixon.
Not one of the candidates believes in vaccine mandates.
When asked whether they believed in the debunked claims that former President Donald Trump won the last election, Dixon, Ryan Kelley, and Ralph Rebandt were a solid yes.
There was one notable absence.
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who had initially said he would be in attendance, pulled out of the event earlier this week, citing another commitment.
Read: Michigan GOP front-runner James Craig admits campaign dealing with forged signatures
Craig has been invited to attend the Detroit Regional Chamber’s debate at the Mackinac Policy Conference.
Craig, along with Rinke, Garrett Soldano, Kelley, and Johnson, all made the polling threshold. The crowd was at capacity for Thursday night’s debate.
Seven hundred got in, with 300 on a waiting list if a ticket became available.
