PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — The final debate between the five Republican candidates on the ballot for Michigan’s gubernatorial primary was held Wednesday in Pontiac, with the election less than a week away.
Ryan Kelley, Kevin Rinke, Garret Soldano, Tudor Dixon and Ralph Rebandt met on stage at the UWM Sports Complex in Pontiac. The debate was hosted by the Oakland County GOP and broadcast live on WJR.
In front of a live audience, the candidates all made their case for why they should be the ones to face incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“There’s one person we haven't sent to Lansing yet that’s a pastor,” said Rebandt, a pastor from Farmington Hills.
"No one has held this governor accountable and she’s afraid of me," Dixon said before motioning to the other candidates on stage. "And they’re afraid of me."
The candidates touched on everything from COVID-19 policy and lock downs to taxes, roads and election security.
“She was playing political science at our expense instead of following medical science in a time we needed real leadership,” Rinke said of Whitmer during the pandemic.
"Banning those ballot drop boxes is important," Kelley said during a question about election security. "Working with the Legislature to pass some of this common sense legislation such as voter ID.”
Other key moments of the debate focused on the economy and inflation, and plans to keep gas prices down.
“Her (Whitmer) energy policy is more radical than Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau," Dixon said. "If we give her another four years, your gas prices will go up even higher.”
“We have a lot of oil in the state of Michigan that can be accessed and used to lower costs of diesel fuel and other fuel we have there at the pump,” Kelley said.
There was also a focus on hot button social issues like gender and the definition of a woman.
“We laugh about those things, but it’s really not funny," Soldano said. "It’s literally hot garbage what they're doing to these kids, and confusing.”
"We threw out nature's God and now they're throwing out the laws of nature," Rebandt said. "That's why people think you can become a girl if you're a boy or a boy if your a girl.”
On top of that, there were contentious moments between the candidates.
“Kevin Rinke changed his ads from being pro- Kevin Rinke to being against Tudor Dixon," Dixon said.
"You just listened to our version of Gretchen Whitmer,” Rinke responded, leading to a reaction from the crowd.
The candidates also argued over who was more "establishment," a term the candidates have mainly levied towards Dixon. They also argued over who was the best fit to face Whitmer.
“Our Republican party is fractured right now, the line has been drawn in the sand. We have the establishment, the old guard and we the people," Soldano said. “There’s a lot of shenanigans going on behind the scenes with our establishment trying to bring down these candidates who are backed by the people.”
The last day to register to vote absentee is July 29, and you have until Election Day at 8 p.m. to turn those ballots in. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
