Paul Hudson is bidding to be the Republican nominee for Michigan's third congressional district. I sat down with him to hear his stances on the issues. This interview was conducted on June 27th and has been edited for clarity. This date was before the presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and President Biden. This was also before President dropped out of the race for the White House.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO YOU ARE JUST IN GENERAL, PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND SEEING YOUR FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
I've got a wife and two kids. We've got a 16 year old and a 13 year old; proud parents of a sophomore in high school and an eighth grader. I'm a lawyer here in town in Grand Rapids and had our firm's appeals group. I've had the opportunity to practice law in this state for 18 years and have been proud to represent our police officers in the court of law advocate for a better better business climate in this state as well.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE WEST MICHIGAN AREA?
[I’m a] longtime resident of West Michigan, we've been here since 2012. So raised our kids since they were babies here, and just really felt fell in love with West Michigan. I grew up in the Detroit area, but —and still love Detroit, of course— But there's something about West Michigan where neighbors are still neighbors. Great place to raise a family. And for me, the reason I'm running for office is to really maintain that character and quality of life for people here in West Michigan.
SO WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO GO FROM ATTORNEY TO RUNNING FOR OFFICE?
I've been frustrated with the leadership that I've seen in Washington. I think our leaders have been failing us for several years now. When I get around the district and talk to people, they feel the same thing. Everybody can feel that things aren't quite right. And they haven't been for some time. And I really think we need solid leadership to get us back on track.
WHAT DO YOU THINK SOME OF THE BIGGEST FAILURES HAVE BEEN FROM YOUR STANDPOINT?
Yeah, the issues that I hear over and over and over inflation is number one, everything's more expensive than they were just just a few years ago, it's over $1,000 a month for a regular family— more expensive than it was just a few years ago, grocery cart costs 40 bucks and more now than it did back then. Those are the main issues that people are feeling right now. Government spending, it's been out of control. And that's related to the inflation, when we pump trillions of dollars of government money into the economy. Inflation follows, and we're seeing the effects of bad policy there. And then finally, border security, people are frustrated that we've allowed in 10 million illegal crossings in the past few years. And there's a real sense across the district that just nobody's in charge here. And the entire —essentially—, the entire population of Michigan 10 million people has been allowed into the country. People don't think that's that's good, common sense policy. That's not that will change on day one. I want to get to Congress.
YOU JUST SAID COMMON SENSE. AND I SAW ON YOUR WEBSITE, COMMON SENSE, CONSERVATIVE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? AND HOW WOULD THIS PLAY A ROLE IF YOU WERE ELECTED INTO OFFICE?
Well, I just think that ordinary ordinary everyday people understand what the problems are and what the solutions are. And it's not that complicated, really. And what I want to see is get back to bread and butter common sense issues, I've laid out a plan called the GPS plan, country's off track to get us back on track, we need to follow the GPS, plant growth, prosperity and security. We need to get back to the basics of lower taxes, less regulations, lower government spending, we need to build for the next generation, the best way we can do that is by reforming our education system. Right now in Michigan, we're 42nd in the nation, and educational outcomes from third grade reading to eighth grade math scores to high school graduation scores. That's not where we want to be, we need to try some new things in educational and innovation spaces, so that we get those standards back up again. And then finally, security. We need to recommit to security on the world stage. And at home here in our, on our border, and here in our cities as well. People deserve to feel safe here in Grand Rapids and throughout West Michigan.
I SPOKE WITH YOUR REPUBLICAN OPPONENT YESTERDAY. HE SPOKE TO A LOT OF THE SAME ISSUES AND TOPICS. WHAT SETS YOU APART?
Well, we've just been laser focused on those bread and butter, kitchen table issues that are important for families. And that's what we're going to continue to focus on all the way through November. And we'll let the voters decide here. We've gotten a primary election coming up on August 6. Actually, absentee ballots are landing soon here as soon as this week across the district. So really encourage folks to learn more about the candidates and get out there and vote as well.
HE MENTIONED WE HAVE ENOUGH ATTORNEYS IN OFFICE AND IN CONGRESS. HE’S A BUSINESSMAN. HE’S A FINANCIAL PERSON. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THAT?
Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of nonsense flying in political election season. What I'll say is that my background as a lawyer I'm tremendously proud of I've been practicing law in this state for for 18 years. And it really gives you a good perspective on how to effectively lead, how to effectively get get things done, my opponent calls himself a disrupter or an interrupter. I think we've got enough disruptors in Washington, I think we need people who know how to get things done. We're standing here in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. To me, this is Gerald Ford's district, he is the model of effective legislating and effective leadership for West Michigan. That's the model that I want to follow. I think people are tired of the political games and Washington tired the clowns who are sort of prancing around on social media and cable news, we want to get back to the basics of effective government. That's what that's what this campaign is all about.
WHAT WAS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HE DID THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO EMULATE AND MODEL IN YOUR OWN RUN?
Well, I think it's a good reminder, from Gerald Ford that this country has been through hard times before. And we've gotten through that. But it takes good leadership, it takes people of good character to step up. And I think what Gerald Ford did was he always focused on the main issues that mattered to everyday people. And he got things done, he was willing to work with his colleagues and focusing on good policy-making. And then of course, when he became president, he led us through a tumultuous period in our history post Watergate, and I think people around here, that still means something when you say you're running for Gerald Ford's seat, those are big shoes to fill. That's a responsibility that I take very seriously.
HOW WOULD YOU START THERE BY KIND OF PUSHING FOR MORE UNITY [in the Republican party]?
While I was think there's more that unites us than divides us. And certainly, there are unifying messages and issues in the party right now, such as border security, such as bringing down government spending, tackling inflation. So I think that's where we start. Again, there's a lot of nonsense that swirls and not in Washington. But I think by focusing on those core issues, and even if we have sort of 90% agreement on those things, if we can get something done to make things a little bit better, let's take those wins where we can get them.
AND THEN ACROSS THE AISLE, TOO, IF YOU WERE ELECTED IN OFFICE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT DEMOCRATS ARE PUSHING FOR THAT YOU SAY, I COULD ALSO GET ON BOARD WITH THAT?
I think there's always more that unites us than divides us. And especially I think, when it comes to foreign policy, that's an area where we need to pull together as a country present unified front, it's a dangerous world out there, we're seeing a lot of hotspots across the world where we've got global issues going on. And that's really an area where it is it sends a good signal to the world when Congress can get its act together can be sort of pulling on the same or in the same direction. So foreign policy, certainly, I'll say this about my opponent, Democrat opponent in November. She had— She talks a good game about bipartisanship. And people may remember her campaign from last cycle where she pretended she was going to be very moderate and very bipartisan. Problem is then she got to Congress, and the voting record doesn't reflect that one bit. And it's been a very party line, left wing voting record. And I don't think that's West Michigan. I don't think that's the promise that she made to us, Michigan. And so we're going to make sure people know this time around that if you're looking for those good, common sense policies, that this is the campaign for you.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A MODERATE?
I think the labels have gotten all scrambled right now what it means to be Republican, Democrat and moderate conservative. It means different things now than they did five years ago. Probably another five years will mean another thing. So what I tried to do is avoid the labels and to tell people just exactly what I'm all about.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU FEEL LIKE SHE HAS ACCOMPLISHED FOR THE DISTRICT?
I mean, it's she's only been in office for about a year and a half now, but I think people have been frustrated with with her level of engagement across the community. When I visit folks in Muskegon or Grand Haven or here in Grand Rapids, what I hear is a lot of, they get a lot of talk from her and not much follow up, not much action. So that's certainly a different style than I would bring. I think this is fundamentally a representative job. Right? I am here to represent West Michigan, that means all of West Michigan, whether I agree with their political positions or not. And I think that's a style of legislating that we've seen emulated from Gerald Ford, but it focuses on results for the district. Definitely.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES THAT WEST MICHIGAN IS DEALING WITH? AND HOW WOULD YOU MAKE SURE TO LOCALIZE THOSE AND BRING IT HOME? FROM THE NATIONAL STANDPOINT?
Well, one thing I hear a lot is public safety. People when they come downtown, and to Grand Rapids, they want to feel safe in the community. I think we've got a tremendous law enforcement community here. I think we need to support them in their efforts to make make sure that we don't see some of the problems that we've seen across the country, come to Grand Rapids, because that's an issue that we've been dealing with across the district is a problem of growth, right? We're a growing region, we're one of the only growing regions and in Michigan and the Midwest— which is terrific— managing that growth and making sure that we maintain the character, that community and maintain the safety of the community, as well, that those are the issues that are really important to people tonight,
(**A reminder this interview was conducted before the presidential debate and before President Biden stepped out of the race**) IT'S A BIG DEBATE. IT'S A BIG NIGHT, WE HAVEN'T SEEN THIS IN FOUR YEARS AS TWO OF THE SAME CANDIDATES THAT WE SAW FOUR YEARS AGO. I THINK WE CAN AGREE IT WAS A LITTLE TUMULTUOUS LAST DEBATE, THERE WAS A LOT OF LITTLE CHAOS ON STAGE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? BEFORE THE DEBATES? WHAT WOULD YOU SEE, LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENT FROM DONALD TRUMP TONIGHT?
Well, I'll of course be watching the debate with interest like everyone else. What I would love to see from from both candidates is a positive vision for what do we want this country to look like, in five years, 10 years, 20 years? I think that's the piece that has been missing from our political discussion these days, it seems like we're stuck in the past where we're sort of haven't been able to move on from the past few years. And that's what I want to see from the presidential candidates is certainly what what I'll bring on the campaign trail is, let's start looking forward to the future here. And what kind of world do we want to live leave to our kids, and I've got a simple model that I live by, let's leave this place a little better than we found it. And I think we're at risk of for the maybe the first time in American history of not living up to that promise to the next generation. So that's what I want to see going forward. That's all I'll be offering going forward is what's the positive vision for the future?
(**A reminder this interview was conducted before the presidential debate and before President Biden stepped out of the race**) IF YOU'RE ELECTED, AND PRESIDENT BIDEN HAPPENS TO BE ELECTED, WHERE ARE SOME COMMON GROUND AND SOME THINGS THAT YOU FEEL LIKE HE HAS DONE WELL, IN HIS, YOU KNOW, FIRST FEW YEARS IN THE WHITE HOUSE?
Well, I think that's a missing piece of our politics right now, too, is sort of a we need our government to be operating efficiently, whether we have divided government or unified government. And I think there's a sense these days that unless you've got all of government all lined up in favor of your your position that you sort of take the rest of the decade off. That's not how our system was designed to work. So no matter who's in the White House, no matter who's in charge of the senator, or the house, we need to get things done. That's what people expect. Northwest Michigan.
IF I ONLY GAVE YOU THREE SENTENCES, AN ELEVATOR SPEECH TO GIVE TO HIS MICHIGANDERS, AND THEY'RE WATCHING THEY ONLY GET THAT THREE SENTENCES. GO AHEAD AND GIVE IT TO ME.
Yeah, let's let's focus on common sense, solutions to these problems. We've got a lot of problems this country, but we've always been able to unify. And let's focus on growth, prosperity and security. And let's let's leave the nonsense aside. There's been way too much nonsense in politics for the past several years. Let's get back to the basics.
FULL INTERVIEW: