Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan by Crisco 1492 is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
The second and final debate between Tudor Dixon and Gretchen Whitmer has come to an end, and the race for the Michigan governorship has never been closer. Whitmer’s detachment from the facts was evident and her cringe-worthy “hit the accelerator into the future” approach was on full display for Michiganders. During the event, Whitmer’s false claims about her tax reform efforts during her time as governor were checked in real time by Dixon.
Throughout the debate, Dixon constantly kept Whitmer on the back foot, bringing to light the long list of opportunities the governor had to put retired Michigan residents first. “When she’s had the opportunity to actually do that, she’s vetoed it,” stated Dixon. Leading up to her election in 2018, Whitmer gave empty assurances to Michigan residents that she would cut taxes. However, the people have yet to see such cuts. One of Whitmer’s claims that led to her election in 2018 was the elimination of retirement tax, but that never happened. When confronted by Dixon about her failures, she fell back on the standard liberal tactic of blaming the Republicans instead of taking responsibility as a professional governor should. In June, Whitmer vetoed a $2.7 billion plan to cut the personal income tax rate and expand exemptions for seniors. She justified her veto by claiming that the bill was unconstitutional. Dixon also challenged the governor on her decision to offer over $700 million of taxpayer money to a Chinese corporation. “Battery plants are going outside of Michigan, unless they’re owned by the Chinese, and have strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” she said.
Over the last 4 years, Whitmer has demonstrated that her claims run contradictory to her actions as a legislative leader in the state. She had 4 years to reward the loyalty of Michigan’s retired workers and failed to do so. The correlation is clear: the more Whitmer speaks, the more she is abandoned by voters. This is why the race is the tightest it has ever been. Taxpayers in the state plainly see the inconsistency of her statements when compared with her actions over the past 4 years.
Dixon is on the side of Michigan taxpayers. This is why she feels comfortable signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge – a promise Whitmer knows she can’t keep. An incoherent Whitmer, constantly scrambling to justify her failures, couldn’t find her stride in the second debate. Fortunately for her, there won’t be another one.