Michigan gubernatorial debate: Whitmer and Dixon portray each other as radical, 'dangerous'

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon debated for one hour Thursday over abortion, education, school safety, the state's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the condition of Michigan's roads.

Each painted the other as a radical in the lively confrontation, hosted by WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Each accused the other of distorting their positions, in the first of two scheduled debates between them.

The last four years, under Whitmer's leadership, have been "disappointing at best," said Dixon, a businesswoman.

"Everything is more expensive. Our communities are less safe," she said. "Our schools are getting worse and our roads haven't been fixed."

Whitmer said Dixon's pledge to make children and families safer is undermined by her opposition to gun control measures such as red-flag laws, background checks, and keeping schools free of guns except those carried by law enforcement and trained security officers.

"She is too dangerous and too out of touch to be trusted with protecting our kids," Whitmer said of Dixon. "My opponent is long on rhetoric and short on facts."

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'Spirited debate'

A pivotal moment was when Dixon, who favors an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother, said she would honor the will of the people if Michigan voters on Nov. 8 approve Proposal 3, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

"I will always respect the will of the voters," Dixon said.

That statement brought an instant retort from Whitmer, a Democrat who has been governor since 2019. "That's really ironic," she said, noting Dixon has not accepted the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Dixon stated during a primary debate in Livingston County that former President Donald Trump — not President Joe Biden — was the rightful winner despite an absence of evidence of fraud affecting the election outcome, and has not pledged to accept the results of the pending Nov. 8 vote.

Still, Aaron Kall, director of debates at the University of Michigan, said he heard plenty of zingers from both candidates but no gaffes or devastating comments that would change the direction of the race.

"That was a great, spirited debate," Kall said. "I think both candidates held their own."

Whitmer and Dixon held their first debate the same day the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. published a poll showing Whitmer's lead shrinking in the race, but the governor was still ahead of Dixon by 11 percentage points. A poll conducted in September by the same firm, EPIC-MRA of Lansing, showed Whitmer with a 16-point lead.

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Abortion takes center stage

Just as she has led in the polls, Whitmer holds a huge financial advantage over Dixon as she seeks a second four-year term on Nov. 8. Millions of dollars in campaign ads in support of Whitmer have hammered Dixon on the abortion issue, which has energized Democratic voters since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

Whitmer has touted her record, which includes historic investments in public schools and billions of dollars in promised investments in Michigan's manufacturing sector, much of it tied to electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, Dixon has emphasized close ties between Whitmer and Biden, saying excessive government spending backed by both leaders has fueled inflation. She has also called for more school choice, including public support of private schools, and more parental control over curricula.

Whitmer and Dixon both went on the offensive early, with each accusing the other of lying about their positions on abortion.

Whitmer said Dixon wants to put Michigan back under a 1931 law that criminalizes most abortions and would "throw doctors and nurses in jail," while "I am fighting to protect our right to choose."

Dixon denied wanting to criminalize abortion, despite having described the 1931 law that would do that as "a good law." She accused Whitmer of wanting to allow "abortion up to the moment of birth."

That's ridiculous, said Whitmer, who in terms of abortion restrictions said she favors the status quo that existed in Michigan before Roe v. Wade was struck down.

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Electric vehicles, roads, and taxes

Dixon accused Whitmer of failing to honor her signature 2018 campaign pledge to "fix the damn roads," and of moving the goalposts by now claiming she never promised to do that in a single term. She also reminded viewers of Whitmer's unsuccessful push for a 45-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase, soon after taking office.

"Gretchen Whitmer wants you to pay more for gas, to force you into EVs (electric vehicles)," Dixon said.

That charge brought a brief laugh from Whitmer, who during the debate described many of Dixon's assertions as "ridiculous."

As for road repairs, "there are orange cones and barrels all over the state," Whitmer said. "We are fixing the damn roads and they are built to last," but years of infrastructure neglect can't be reversed overnight, she said.

Whitmer stressed that she has a bipartisan and pragmatic approach to resolving issues that she said Dixon lacks, saying: "I will work with anyone who is serious about solving problems."

Dixon countered that Whitmer's policies "are radical, dangerous, and destructive."

Dixon also criticized Whitmer over her vetoes of certain Republican tax cut proposals, including a March plan to cut taxes on personal income and fuel, a separate gas tax pause passed in April, and a $2.5 billion income tax cut the Legislature sent her in March.

Whitmer has proposed her own gas tax pause and says she wants to end a tax on certain retirement income and send $500 checks to all Michigan working families. She has generally said that cuts the GOP has proposed are not sustainable when most of the state’s surplus funds are one-time.

Dixon also blasted Whitmer for vetoing, in July, money for pregnancy support centers that oppose abortion rights, a $2 million tax credit for adoptive parents, and a $10 million marketing program to promote adoption as an alternative to abortion.

Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said at the time that Whitmer vetoed funds for what is sometimes known as “fake women’s health centers” or “pregnancy resource centers,” that frequently “use deceptive advertising that target young women and women with low incomes who are seeking abortion care,” while “painting themselves as comprehensive, licensed health care clinics that provide all options, and then lie to women about medical facts.”

The second, and likely final debate, is scheduled for Oct. 25 at Oakland University.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan gubernatorial debate: Whitmer and Dixon spare over records