OAKLAND UNIVERSITY, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer and GOP challenger Tudor Dixon faced off Tuesday evening in their final debate before the 2022 November election, and we're taking a closer look at some of their answers.
FOX 17 talked with Michael C.H. McDaniel, a professor of constitutional law at WMU-Cooley Law School, who said, overall, Whitmer and Dixon seemed to agree on a lot of things.
"You know, fixing the roads, reducing retirement tax, you know, there was a number...both agree on education, so it really comes down to some of these cultural issues, which may or may not be under the control of the governor...and those are the issues I suppose maybe people care about," McDaniel said.
Abortion rights in Michigan will be on the ballot in November after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade this spring, making Proposal 3 a major topic throughout Tuesday's debate.
"I would say that we've had legal experts that have told us the opposite. It's very fuzzy and it's very, that's why you see the signs that say it's extreme and confusing," Dixon told FOX 17 after the debate. "I believe that it's very clear, that there is, that it invalidates all laws on the books."
Doug Reardon and Professor McDaniel dove into the issue of parental consent when it comes to abortion rights in Michigan.
"The Michigan Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court, in particular, have stated that even with abortions, there is a right of the parent to be notified and to provide consent. And when you think about it, that only makes sense. This is a form of surgery, I mean many times, 80-percent of the time, it's through an oral drug instead of actual surgery, but it's a medical procedure for a minor child, but my point is: even if Proposition 3 passes, it is not going to negate parental consent, despite what everyone says. Because there is a concurrent, fundamental right for parents to raise their children in the way they see best. And that includes and always has included the right of parents to make decisions about medical procedures for their child," McDaniel explained.
Another major disagreement between Dixon and Whitmer is how to curb gun violence in Michigan schools. FOX 17 asked both candidates, after the debate, if they would support both red flag laws and background checks, along with armed security in schools. Here's what they said:
"I would only support armed security in our schools. That's what I believe is the answer," Dixon told FOX 17. "I've been clear on my position."
"If the legislature came and said, 'we are willing to do red flag laws and background checks and secure storage. We also want to put more resources to ensure that there are additional public safety [officers] around,' I would be eager to have that conversation. I've been trying to get them to take action," Whitmer explained.
Michigan's republican and democratic parties both reacted to Tuesday's debate with the following statements:
"[Tuesday's] debate proved what we already knew about Gretchen Whitmer. She'll say anything and do anything to get re-elected, but won't actually follow up on the promises she's made, and her flailing campaign continues to hang on by a thread. We will continue exposing her for her failures and hold her accountable for keeping inflation relief from working Michiganders. Tudor Dixon will help turn our state around and bring back prosperity for all."
"At [Tuesday's] final debate of the cycle, DeVos sellout Tudor Dixon played all her greatest hits. She touted her DeVos-backed agenda to decimate our schools, hurled hyper-political attacks in response to questions about her extreme rhetoric, attacked businesses bringing good-paying jobs stateside, tried to paper over her anti-choice crusade to eliminate reproductive rights for millions and even found the time to cart out new conspiracy theories about the major strides Governor Whitmer has made to fix our damn roads. Two weeks from now, Michigan families will back Governor Whitmer, the only person on stage tonight who has been in their corner and kept them first."
