The first of three Republican debates for Michigan governor is taking place WEDNESDAY in west Michigan.
The election is over a year away.But Michigan Republican Party Chair and state Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) said he sees the early debates as a chance for candidates to sharpen their skills ahead of the general election.
“You get to really be concise with your answers, you get compelling with your message. It puts you head and shoulders above the competition when you’ve been up there tried and tested, and going through these debates,” Runestad said.
The debates are taking place this month and next in Kent, Grand Traverse, and Macomb Counties, all places that Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer won during her 2022 re-election campaign. Whitmer is term limited and unable to run again.
Regarding location, Runestad said the choices were coincidences that just worked out for getting people to central locations across the state. He said to expect between 100-150 attendees at each event.
The person the candidates might most like to reach, however, may not be in the room.
John Sellek is a public relations consultant who formerly worked for Republican officeholders. He said, aside from voters, President Donald Trump will be an important target of messaging in the first debate and subsequent ones.
“The audience there will be small. It’s out in rural Michigan. If there were a TV audience, it’s not going to be very big. It’s the way the clips get chopped up and put onto social media. And I know we will also see packages of the clips behind the scenes being sent to members of the President’s team,” Sellek said.
Six of the seven Republican candidates who have been invited to the debates have confirmed for the series, according to Runestad.
That includes state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp), former state Attorney General Mike Cox, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, conservative activist Karla Wagner, pastor Ralph Rebandt, and truck driver Anthony Hudson.
U.S. Representative John James (MI 10) is the only one who hadn’t confirmed as of Friday afternoon. He’s also led the field when it comes to name recognition in polling.
Sellek said he gets why James may be hesitant to start sharing the stage with his competitors right now.
“He is putting a strategy in place where he says, ‘Do I need to risk my lead right now just for the purposes of entertaining or giving Aric Nesbitt, Mike Cox, Tom Leonard and the others a chance?’ And right now the answer’s been, ‘No, why should I help give them a chance to come after me, engage with me, and get on my level,” Sellek said.
The James campaign did not respond to a text Friday asking if he was planning to attend the debates. James has been involved, however, in his own fundraising and speaking events outside of appearing with the rest of the field.
Sellek said he expects to see James more involved in a traditional sense come next year. In the meantime, he said the early debates will help Republicans down the road.
“Inevitably, what this does, is help narrow the field. Because how people perform in these debates is part of what donors will look at, it’s part of what the social media machine will look at and judge whether it’s viable or interesting or not,” he said.
Sellek said the sooner a true frontrunner can emerge, the sooner Republicans can focus on defeating their Democratic and independent general election opponents.
The Michigan Democratic Party has not yet scheduled any debates on its public calendar.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson are running for the Democratic nomination. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running as an independent.
