OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – For most of the hour during the Michigan republican gubernatorial debate in Pontiac at the UWM Sports Complex, the debate centered around policy issues and describing what the candidates thought was wrong with Gretchen Whitmer and her administration.

The debate, which was only seen by the people in the audience and only heard on News/Talk WJR Radio 760 AM or on their website, concentrated on issues more of interest to republican voters than the previous debate. The debate was sponsored by the radio station and the Oakland County Republican party.

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The five candidates in attendance were Tudor Dixon, Ryan Kelley,  Ralph Rebandt, Kevin Rinke, and Garrett Soldano. James Craig, who is running as a write-in candidate, was not invited to the debate.

The candidates were asked what they would have done differently during the pandemic than Whitmer did. They were asked about how they’d “fix the damn roads” without raising taxes. They were asked about voter reforms and to comment on the redefining of words by the democrats. They were asked how they’d lower gas prices.

The debate centered on policy and was civil up until the end. When answering the question about why each of them would make the best candidate to run against Whitmer, Dixon mentioned that the Democrats had recently launched a $2 million ad campaign against her, showing that she was one one they were afraid of. She also mentioned Rinke’s attack ads against her.

Rinke had a rebuttal and said, “you just listened to our version of Gretchen Whitmer” and pointed out that she was funded by the DeVos family.

When Kelley was answering the question about why he was the best candidate, he said he wasn’t bought and paid for.

When it was his turn, Soldano asked Dixon a question about Matt DePerno and then it broke down from there with the candidates running out of time, unable to continue their crosstalk.

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During closing statements, Dixon said that people hated it when the candidates on stage attacked her and that was what they will do with Whitmer – and people will come out in droves because they won’t want a bully.

The latest polling out of Mitchell Communications & Research commissioned by MIRS and the Detroit News both have Dixon in the lead of her opponents by 4 to 8 points plus or minus their margins of error. It looks like a close race between the top three candidates Dixon, Rinke and Kelley with no endorsement from former President Trump forthcoming.

Come back to Michigan News Source tomorrow morning for a complete rundown of the debate.