Michigan Voter Guide 2022: State Governor – WDET 101.9 FM

Dave Kim

Michigan voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 8, for the 2022 midterm elections. One of many races on the poll is Michigan’s state governor. Candidates embrace incumbent Gretchen Whitmer and her Republican opponent Tudor Dixon.

Hold studying to study the candidates’ solutions to the questionnaire they obtained from WDET.

Bounce to Gretchen Whitmer

Bounce to Tudor Dixon

Gretchen Whitmer – Democrat

Why are you the most effective candidate to steer the State of Michigan as its governor?

Robust occasions name for powerful individuals. Michiganders have proven exceptional grit and resilience by way of every part the previous few years have thrown our manner. Regardless of all of the challenges of the previous few years, we now have introduced individuals collectively to get issues achieved that make a distinction on the kitchen desk points, enhancing public training, creating good-paying jobs, retaining communities protected, reducing prices for households, and strengthening our infrastructure.

Each single invoice I’ve signed – over 900 within the final 4 years – has been bipartisan, and I’m prepared to sit down down with anybody to assist individuals.

We made Michigan’s largest-ever funding in Okay-12 training – tripling the variety of studying coaches, growing entry to psychological well being care, and increasing before- and after-school applications.

We helped enroll 35,000 youngsters in high-quality pre-Okay and introduced inexpensive little one care to 150,000 children. We minimize taxes for small companies and delivered over $400 million to help small companies and retain jobs.

We’re fixing the rattling roads and have repaired over 13,000 lane miles and over 900 bridges, whereas supporting over 80,000 good-paying jobs. We turned a projected $3 billion deficit right into a $7 billion surplus and handed three balanced budgets with out elevating taxes, setting our state up for a brilliant future.

We are going to proceed to beat the challenges thrown our manner and construct a stronger Michigan.

How will you assist Michigan’s economic system get well from the consequences of inflation within the U.S.?

Proper now, Michiganders are dealing with rising costs on the pump, on the grocery retailer, and on on a regular basis bills. I’ve all the time been centered on decreasing prices for Michiganders, and I’m preventing arduous to proceed to place more cash again in individuals’s pockets.

We have now labored to chop prices for households by securing $400 refund checks for each Michigan driver, for every automobile they personal. We have now put 170,000 Michiganders on a tuition-free path to increased training and expertise coaching, and only in the near past I created the Michigan Achievement Scholarship to make 75 % of Michigan households eligible for as much as $5,500 in monetary support for in-state tuition at Michigan’s 15 public universities and faculties.

I plan to construct on these applications and ship extra financial savings to extra households so Michiganders have a top quality of life and low price of dwelling. I proposed a plan to ship $500 from the state surplus to Michigan’s working households to fight rising costs. I need to repeal the retirement tax so our seniors can preserve extra of their hard-earned {dollars}, which might save half 1,000,000 households a mean of $1,000 a yr. I additionally need to triple Michigan’s earned revenue tax credit score and supply over 700,000 Michiganders a mean mixed credit score of $3,000.

Michigan’s hardworking households want reduction proper now, and I’ll work with anybody to get it achieved.

What environmental insurance policies would you help to assist shield Michigan’s pure assets?

The well being of Michigan households and the power of our economic system depend upon the basics of unpolluted air and protected water. Since taking workplace, I’ve labored to guard Michigan’s lovely atmosphere together with the Nice Lakes and cut back the impacts of local weather change on communities, and I’ve made daring investments to make sure the way forward for sustainable manufacturing and electrification is made in Michigan, by Michigan employees.

To safe clear consuming water for each household, I’ve invested greater than $2 billion to improve water infrastructure, whereas supporting 30,000 good-paying jobs. I’m defending our parks and public lands with greater than $100 million in funding on high of $450 million for state and neighborhood parks, trails, and recreation amenities.

I launched the MI Wholesome Local weather Plan to strengthen our economic system and create alternative proper right here at dwelling whereas shifting our state in the direction of clear vitality objectives. We have now invested in local weather resilient infrastructure and upgrades to help communities dealing with new local weather challenges.

I’m happy with the work we now have achieved securing historic investments in clear, inexpensive vitality to maneuver our state towards vitality independence and shield the environment, and I stay up for constructing on this momentum in my second time period.

Do you help a girl’s authorized proper to decide on to have an abortion within the State of Michigan?

The ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturning Roe v. Wade was devastating. Once we noticed indications this is perhaps coming, I filed a lawsuit in April and used my authority as governor to ask the Michigan Supreme Court docket to instantly resolve whether or not our state structure protects the best to abortion. And in August, I fought for and received a preliminary injunction to forestall Michigan’s draconian 1931 abortion ban from going into impact. I’m preventing like hell to make sure my daughters don’t dwell in a world the place they’ve fewer rights than I did, and I’m extra decided than ever to guard the best to decide on in Michigan. 

What insurance policies would you help to enhance Michigan’s training system?

4 years in a row we made the biggest funding in Okay-12 training in state historical past with out elevating taxes – tripling the variety of studying coaches, growing entry to psychological well being care, boosting profession and technical teaching programs, and increasing before- and after-school applications. I closed the varsity funding hole, one thing the earlier 4 governors tried to perform, and I’ll proceed to make historic investments in Okay-12 training and help our college students with impactful assets like tutoring.

I hope to make Michigan a high 10 state for literacy. I need to double all the way down to deal with unfinished studying by absolutely funding the MI Children Again on Monitor plan to supply free tutoring for each scholar who wants it. We secured over $50M in funding on this yr’s finances which is a superb begin, however I do know we will get the remainder of it achieved so that each child in Michigan has entry to a professional tutor.

Additional customized instruction, like tutoring, is a crucial instrument for fogeys to assist their children get caught up and heading in the right direction after a tricky few years. In a tutoring setting, college students get assist from a caring, certified grownup who is targeted on their particular studying challenges. If we get this achieved, we will provide each scholar in Michigan—all 1.4 million of them—additional assist with a professional tutor.

Each household deserves entry to high-quality training, and I’ll proceed to struggle for Michigan college students.

What motion(s) would you are taking to enhance Michigan’s infrastructure?

 We have now made a lot progress rebuilding our infrastructure: over 13,000 lane miles and greater than 900 bridges repaired, supporting greater than 80,000 good-paying jobs. Our roads are enhancing, and we now have extra roads in good situation now than every other time in nearly 20 years, with out elevating taxes by a dime.

Whereas we can not reverse a long time of disinvestment in a single day, we’re placing our foot on the accelerator. I introduced Republicans and Democrats collectively to cross the Constructing Michigan Collectively infrastructure plan – making significant investments in water infrastructure, inexpensive housing, broadband, and roads and bridges. That exhibits that we will come collectively and get one thing achieved on infrastructure.

I stay open to working with anybody who’s critical about discovering long-term options. One place the place I’m hoping we will make progress is giving native governments extra choices for increase income for roads. And as we transition from inside combustion to electrical autos, we may even want options for altering our income mannequin.

I’m happy with the work we did coming collectively to safe these assets, and I’m able to work with the Legislature to maintain working to construct resilient roads, bridges, and water infrastructure for our state.

Tudor Dixon – Republican

Tudor Dixon didn’t reply to our questionnaire. You possibly can view extra data at Dixon’s official marketing campaign web site.