Readers will note that our 2022 primary election coverage only includes Republican races. This should not be interpreted as partisanship on the part of Lowell’s First Look, but rather, it reflects the fact that only the Republican primary races are contested. All Democratic candidates in Lowell-area districts are running unopposed.

The questions below were selected to provide you with a broad overview of a candidate’s political philosophy and priorities. We could not possibly cover all the topics and issues that are of interest to voters. Instead, we hope these questions will provide you a base for evaluating your choices, and we encourage you to visit candidate websites and social media pages to learn more about each person.

Michigan Governor

Six candidates are vying for the Republican nomination in this year’s governor’s race. The winner will face the Democratic incumbent, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in November’s general election.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, by last name. Responses have not been edited and are published exactly as provided by each candidate.

James Craig

Campaign address: Detroit
Website: http://chiefjamescraig.com/
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
*Note: James Craig’s name will not appear on the ballot, but he has registered as a write-in candidate. Multiple emails were sent to the addresses associated with the campaign, but we did not receive a response.

Tudor Dixon

Campaign address: Lansing
Website: https://www.tudordixon.com/
Social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
*Multiple emails were sent to the addresses associated with the campaign, but we did not receive a response.

Ryan Kelley

Campaign address: Allendale
Website: https://ryandkelley.com/
Social media: Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, Gab
*Multiple emails were sent to an address associated with the campaign and a message was sent via a webform on the candidate website, but we did not receive a response.

Ralph Rebandt

Campaign address: Farmington Hills
Website: https://www.ralphrebandtforgovernor.com/
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
*Multiple emails were sent to an address associated with the campaign and a message was sent via a webform on the candidate website, but we did not receive a response.

Kevin Rinke

Campaign address: Bloomfield Hills
Website: https://rinkeformichigan.com/
Social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Garrett Soldano

Campaign address: Mattawan
Website: https://garrettformichigan.com/
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
*Multiple emails were sent to the addresses associated with the campaign, but we did not receive a response.

Why are you running to be governor?

Craig: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Dixon: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Kelley: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rebandt: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rinke: I’m running for governor because Michigan has been home for my entire life. I built my business here, I have raised my family here, and I love Michigan. Michigan and our country are at a tipping point. Small businesses have shuttered across the state, parents are burdened by an unreliable educational system, forced isolation has put the mental health of our most vulnerable at risk, and continued economic uncertainty has many here worried about the future. People have had enough of the government telling them how to live. I am running to be your governor to reignite Midwestern resilience and put the power back where it belongs – in the hands of the people. We will rejuvenate our state’s economy and small businesses, repair our children’s education, restore quality to our elections, and ensure our communities are safe and supported. This will restore the faith of the good people of Michigan.

Soldano: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

What do you see as the three biggest issues facing Michigan, and what specific policy or initiative would you champion to address each one?

Craig: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Dixon: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Kelley: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rebandt: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rinke: 1.) Governor Whitmer promised to run on kitchen table issues, but the kitchen table is bare. In the past 11 years, the size of Michigan’s state government has almost doubled. Have we gotten double the benefit in that time? I don’t think so. Our cost of living has skyrocketed due to inflation. My plan is to eliminate the personal income tax by January 1, 2024 so Michigan families and small businesses can spend money on their priorities, not on the priorities of the government in Lansing. When I am governor, Michigan families will keep more of what they earn.

2.) Parents not only have the right to be involved in their children’s education, their involvement is critical to allowing our young people to achieve positive outcomes. Under a Rinke administration, our schools will focus on the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Our children have record illiteracy rates, and we must prepare them. Gender studies and CRT do nothing to prepare our kids for the challenges of the real world. Our kids will be prepared for a college career if that’s the path they chose, and if not they will be exposed to vocational education that leads to great paying jobs without the student debt that burdens so many of our young people. Every Michigan family also deserves to have the choice of quality education regardless of their zip code, and I will lead the fight to make sure they have that choice.

3.) People should have confidence in the administration and outcomes of our election system. As governor, I will start an Election Integrity Unit to ensure our electrons are secure as well as making it a felony if you vote more than once. I was called a radical by Governor Whitmer because I think voters should be alive, properly registered and show a government issued photo identification before they cast their ballot. We must clean up our voter roles that Secretary of State Benson has allowed to deteriorate. I will call upon the legislature to deliver legislation that requires the voter rolls to be audited and for our state’s voter ID law to be enforced at every precinct. I will also have a zero-tolerance policy for election fraud. We can restore confidence in our elections, and I will lead the effort.

Soldano: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

If elected, what issues important to small towns like Lowell do you foresee being able to address at the state level?

Craig: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Dixon: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Kelley: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rebandt: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rinke: As governor, I hope to address issues for all Michiganders, not just ones in Lansing or Detroit. We are one state that faces difficult times. Do we not all pay the same exorbitant amounts in gas? Are our wallets all not shrinking in size due to inflation? I want to get government back working for you. Gretchen Whitmer talks about kitchen counter issues. Well Governor Whitmer, the dinner table is empty, and the kitchen is cold. I want to create a culture of success in Michigan that incentivizes business and workers to move to our beautiful state. I want to create a climate that brings business to Lowell so that all residents can live their lives rather than worrying how they’re going to feed their families. We are headed towards economic disaster, and as your governor, I have the business experience to put Michigan back on track.

Soldano: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

As a Republican candidate, what do you think should be the role of former president Donald Trump in the Republican Party today?

Craig: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Dixon: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Kelley: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rebandt: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rinke: I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and in 2020. He was my candidate, and I don’t think a lot of the serious challenges Michiganders face today would be an issue if he had won. I believe our country and our state would be in much better shape if he were in office. Whatever Donald Trump wants to do in the party is his decision to make. I know he shares my vision for a better Michigan.

Soldano: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Why should people vote for you?

Craig: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Dixon: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Kelley: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rebandt: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Rinke: My business experience makes me the most qualified candidate to be the Chief Executive of the State of Michigan. After four failed years, we need a new kind of leadership. A governor who has decades of executive experience, who has signed the front and the back of a check, who listens to the people he leads, and empowers them to be part of the solution, rather than dictating the terms of their lives. We know business leaders solve problems differently than career politicians. Our next governor needs to be someone with proven leadership and proven results. Experience matters, details matter, scale of experience matters.

Soldano: Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.