Tudor Dixon picks Shane Hernandez as running mate in Michigan race for governor

LANSING – Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon on Friday selected former state Rep. Shane Hernandez, of Port Huron, as her running mate for the November general election, announcing her choice with just over an hour to spare to meet a state party deadline.

Hernandez is a former chairman of the state House Appropriations Committee. He was also a candidate for Congress in 2020, when he lost the Republican primary to U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, of Bruce Township.

"Shane Hernandez as lieutenant governor will help to improve our schools, create safer communities, and improve our economy," Dixon said in a news release. "Like me, Shane is concerned about the impact rising prices are having on our families."

Hernandez is married with two daughters. An architect, he served two terms in the state House, from 2017 through 2020. He has a bachelor's degree from Lawrence Technological University.

"I am honored to run as Tudor's running mate to address the problems created by (Michigan Gov.) Gretchen Whitmer," he said in the news release.

"Her vision is the right one for Michigan and I believe we will defeat Whitmer and begin to repair the damage she's caused to our families, students, and business owners."

Dixon had until 5 p.m. Friday to submit her choice of a running mate, ahead of the Aug. 27 state party convention. She came unusually close to that deadline before announcing her choice. Hernandez had been mentioned as a possible choice but said earlier Friday he had not heard from Dixon's campaign.

Hernandez has legislative experience which Dixon lacks as a political newcomer. Dixon is from Norton Shores in Muskegon County and some analysts said she would benefit from picking a running mate from southeast Michigan. Port Huron is in St. Clair County, north of Macomb County. The son of a migrant worker, Hernandez also brings some diversity to the GOP ticket.

It was Dixon's first big test since winning the Republican nomination for governor in the Aug. 2 primary. Dixon was looking for a choice with some general election appeal for moderates and independents, but at the same time she did not want to alienate the more conservative GOP base voters who helped her win the primary.

Like Dixon, Hernandez opposes abortion rights and strongly advocates for gun rights. He has also voiced strong support for former Republican President Donald Trump.

During the 2020 congressional primary, McClain ran an attack ad on Hernandez, noting comments he made to Gongwer News Service in July 2016 in which he acknowledged that Trump wasn't his first or second choice for president — which was the case of many Republicans that year who later threw their support behind him — and that while he believed strong border controls were needed, he considered Trump's demand for a physical wall along the entire southern border "ridiculous."

At the time, Hernandez's campaign said there was no question of his support for Trump in 2016, showing photos of him with then-vice presidential nominee Mike Pence less than a month before the election.

Dixon said she and Hernandez will focus on issues most important to Michigan families, including inflation and crime.

More: Tudor Dixon has short list of potential running mates for Michigan governor's race

More: Tudor Dixon wins Michigan GOP primary for governor, predicts 'epic battle' with Whitmer

In 2018, Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette announced his pick for running mate, Lisa Posthumus Lyons, 10 days out from the state party convention.

John Sellek, a Lansing-based political consultant, said the primary goal of choosing a running mate is to make no unforced errors.

"This appears to be a solid pick of someone both with a deep knowledge of the state budget and the GOP street cred of having come up from the grassroots of the party," Sellek said. "Dixon can now finish getting ready for the convention and begin the general election campaign."

Dixon could still face a convention floor fight over the lieutenant governor nomination, and there were rumblings Friday that could happen, though many analysts think a successful challenge to her choice is unlikely.

Wes Nakagiri, a Livingston County commissioner and Republican tea party activist, unsuccessfully challenged then-Lt. Gov. Brian Calley in a bid to become Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's running mate in 2014, when Snyder was seeking a second four-year term.

Nakagiri said it was difficult then to mount such a challenge, and party rules have since been tightened to make it even more difficult.

Nakagiri said he was required to submit signatures from a certain number of party district chairs. He was unable to obtain those, but did meet an alternative requirement by submitting signatures from a certain number of members of the party's state committee.

But party rules also say that if Dixon's choice for a running mate does not receive "an affirmative vote from the convention floor" at the convention, there is a mechanism for alternative names to be submitted from the convention floor, with approval subject to a majority vote.

Nakagiri said he is supporting Dixon as the party's nominee, despite having concerns that she is too close to the powerful DeVos family, which endorsed her.

Still, "I would be supportive of any grassroots person doing what they thought was right for the ticket," Nakagiri said in advance of Dixon's announcement of her choice of running mate.

Ottawa County real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who finished fourth out of five candidates, had said Wednesday he was considering making a convention bid for lieutenant governor. But he said Friday he had decided against such a move.

Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said in a news release that Dixon and Hernandez are cut from the same cloth.

"Michigan working families deserve leadership that works for them, but Dixon and Hernandez will be catering to the special interests as they work hand-in-hand to dismantle public education, slash funding for infrastructure and law enforcement, and drag Michigan backwards," Barnes said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.  Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter. 

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dixon tabs Hernandez as running mate in Michigan governor race