LANSING – In a change of position, she took during the debates of the candidates in May, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, did not say whether she believes the 2020 presidential election is a big one. stolen during national TV appearance on Sunday.
What can be sign of early turn to general election campaign, Dixon, appears on Fox News Sunday, instead turned the conversation to what she described as legitimate concerns about way elections were held and support for strong voter ID requirements and other proposed changes to state election law.
Apparent shift in Dixon’s position away from”big false”, promoted former President Donald Trump Came Less Than 48 hours after Trump endorsed Dixon, on Friday evening, in GOP primaries with five candidates on Tuesday.
And it drew sharp criticism from Republicans competing with Dixon for nomination.
May debates in Howell, Dixon, together with most of other Republican candidates on scene that night, raised her hand in yes to moderator’s question whether Trump was legitimate winner in Michigan, which he lost to President Joe Biden by about 154,000. votes.
What in itself was a transition from Dixon, a Norton Shores businesswoman and former conservative TV commentator took before in in campaign when she refused to answer the question directly.
On Sunday, under pressure from Fox News anchor Bret Bayer, Dixon changed. back so early campaign pose.
When asked if she thought the election was stolen, Dixon said that in election administration in Michigan, secretary of Claim that Jocelyn Benson “did things that the judge found illegal”, an explicit reference to Benson’s instruction to the clerks who signed on missing ballots have a presumption of validity.
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“We must do sure that our elections are safe and what happened in 2020 doesn’t happen again”It was clearly a different election,” Dixon said. We had COVID on. There was an opportunity for changes to be made. This secretary of state made those changes sending out applications for an absentee certificate for everyone in state that brings in Zuckerbucks, shrinking the signature match. We are calling for common electoral law in state of Michigan”, and “there were definitely things in the 2020 elections, which left us concerned about how she was operated on.
Bayer then put pressure on Dixon, claiming that he had covered the 2000 Florida recount, which included several hundred people. votes across the state but Biden’s margin over Trump in Michigan was exponentially bigger than that.
“I have always focused on problems when I was out over there,” Dixon said. again declining say if she thought the 2020 election was stolen. “I have always focused on in way elections were held and how we need do sure it is safe in in the future and what we don’t have people looking for back and to say that we doubt what actually happened.”
In March 2021 Michigan Court of The Claims Judge ruled that Benson erred when she instructed the clerks to assume that the signatures on missing ballots were valid and Benson said should followed the Law on Administrative Procedures for due publicity of such elections rule.
Dixon’s link to Zuckerbucks stems from COVID-19 response grants that jurisdictions across the country, including Michigan, have received from the nonprofit. organization center for Tech and Civic Life, which received a $400 million grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. money Was wasted for purposes such as protective gear for electoral workers and absentee ballots drop boxes.
In the Howell debate, only two Republican candidates did not say the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. One of them was Oakland County businessman Kevin Rinke. who spent about $10 million of his own money seeking the Republican nomination. The other was candidate Michael Markey. of grand haven, who was one of five candidates were disqualified race for sending too many fake signatures with petitions for their nomination.
Rinke called Dixon. latest comments on betrayal of Trump.
“This is the landspeed record for betrayal of President Trump, even by the standards of the political establishment,” Rinke said. in a news release.
“If Tudor Dixon turns her back on President Trump is fast, just imagine what she’ll do to Michigan Republicans.”
Kalamazoo chiropractor Garret Soldano, another Republican nominee for governor, also criticized Dixon.
“It clear that Tudor Dixon puts the interests of those who finance it campaign over issues that matter to conservatives across Michigan,” Soldano said. – Just like Devos family Tudor turns her back on those who fought for President Trump.”
The Dixon representative did not have an immediate comment.
Soldano and other candidates criticized Dixon for being too close to the establishment because of her Michigan endorsement powerful and rich DeVos family. Betsy DeVos served as Secretary of Education. in Trump, but resigned the day after the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol. She later confirmed that she spoke with other cabinet members about applying the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution to remove Trump from office. office.
Other candidates on Ottawa County ballots real real estate broker Ryan Kelly and former Farmington Hills pastor Ralph Rebandt. Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig continues campaign How to write-in candidate.
Dixon campaign announced On Sunday, after her TV appearance, Trump will appear with her at a telecast on Monday night to energize supporters of primaries on Tuesday. Trump will appear with Dixon on video but not going to Michigan campaign the spokesman said.
Contact Paul Egan at 517-372-8660 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics as well as sign up for our election newsletter.
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