(WXYZ) — When Tudor Dixon took the stage Tuesday night, results were still trickling in. Although not in her favor, her supporters still felt optimistic.
“She's getting huge crowds," said former state Rep. and current Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise. "As a former state Rep., I've never seen candidates for governor get crowds the way she has.”
However hours later, the race was officially called for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and by morning, Dixon called Whitmer to concede. However, some of Dixon's supporters walking in downtown Grand Rapids Wednesday still have optimism for their candidate.
“Oh, I think she has a bright future,” said Dixon voter Ylli Bodinaku.
It was only a few months ago that Dixon was a relatively unknown political newcomer. Today, it seems she’s become somewhat of a household name across the state.
“I didn’t really know much about Tudor Dixon until this election,” said Grand Rapids voter Juan Cisneros. “I've heard more about her in the past two weeks than I've heard about her in my entire life."
“I think people definitely know who she is, especially with the national attention on this race,” said Grand Rapids voter Lissa Engleman.
Oakland University Political Science professor Dave Dulio says name recognition was one of Dixon’s biggest hurdles at the start of the race, but after this campaign, it could become a strength moving forward.
“Losing in your first go around is not a death sentence, that’s for sure,” Dulio said. "I think once Tudor Dixon got rolling, once the debates started, I think she found her footing. I think she performed admirably in those debates and I think she showed her mettle as a candidate.”
Whether or not she uses this run to make another future run is still unclear, but her supporters certainly feel this election has her well-positioned for a future in Michigan politics.
“I think she’s got a great future a bright future here in Michigan, and I'm sure we have not heard the last of Tudor Dixon,” Heise said.
“I imagine there’s probably a future for her in the Republican party," Dulio said. "I think the big question is, does she want it?”
We reached out to Dixon’s campaign on Wednesday about any potential interviews. She was not made available for comment beyond her concession statement released this morning.
