The presumed frontrunner in the Michigan GOP gubernatorial primary is skipping a debate on a few hours’ notice. Why?
News broke just a short time ago that James Craig, the presumed frontrunner in the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary, would be skipping tonight’s primary debate.
Why would he do that? Because he doesn’t want to be put on the spot to answer for his dangerous, extreme agenda — and a record that is full of red flags for Michigan voters.
Craig would ban all abortions, with no exceptions for rape and incest, in Michigan.
Craig was caught on a secret recording insisting that as governor, he would block any attempts by the democratically-elected legislature to protect reproductive rights, as Governor Whitmer is currently doing.
Following the news that the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, he has doubled down on his unpopular views. Just yesterday, Craig admitted that while he feels bad for the victims of incest and rape who will be forced into birth by the abortion ban he supports, he is still going to criminalize abortion with no exceptions. The vast majority of Michiganders support Roe v. Wade.
Craig believes in spending taxpayer money on an Arizona-style audit of Michigan in order to appease conspiracy theorists like himself.
In 2021, American Bridge caught Craig pushing Donald Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 election was unlawful. Despite saying in public that he believes Joe Biden won the 2020 election, in private, Craig falsely claimed there were “valid concerns” that should result in an Arizona-style audit — paid for by Michigan taxpayers — in the state. The Arizona audit cost over $4 million.
Crime has risen on Craig’s watch. So has police misconduct.
Under Craig’s leadership of the Detroit PD, Detroit taxpayers had to shell out millions in legal settlements to victims of police misconduct. That’s despite the fact that under his watch, the city became less safe. Between 2019-2020, during Craig’s tenure as police chief, violent crime in Detroit rose 13 percent, non-fatal shootings rose 53 percent, and homicides rose 19 percent.
Craig has been accused of faking signatures on his candidacy petition.
Craig, who calls himself a “neophyte” to politics despite running for the most important position in the state, is in hot water over potential fake signatures on his official campaign petition. Observers have found “obvious forgery affecting thousands of signatures to hundreds of entire sheets invalidated by defective headings and circulator certificates to signatures from dead voters,” according to a challenge to Craig’s signatures. Craig then admitted that his campaign may have faked signatures.
To add insult to injury, in responding to the allegation, Craig’s attorney called him “Chief Clark” [sic] twice.
###
Published: May 13, 2022 | Last Modified: May 18, 2022