67 days to go, four failed Republicans running at the top of the general ticket, one bitterly splintered party, and a gubernatorial candidate rarely seen in state or speaking with Michigan media in the three weeks since the primary, up against a united Democratic front. And if that wasn’t enough, Tudor Dixon has now been deemed “too extreme to govern” by a former office holder from her own party. Here’s what you missed:
Even With Access to the DeVos Piggy Bank, Money Still Doesn’t Grow on Trees
Sure, sometimes donors hedge their bets during a bitter and messy primary but then they come home after the dust settles, boosting their nominee with the money they need to win.. But Tudor Dixon is still looking for that elusive money bump. In the first month after the primary, Dixon couldn’t even crack the $700,000 mark – a sign that her own party isn’t even consolidating behind her.
And in a full knife twist sniped by Detroit Free Press, MIGOP didn’t even bother to slide their own gubernatorial nominee a check, breaking from precedent of sending their nominee $100,000.
It’s easy to see why Dixon has had trouble getting the chickens to come home and roost. She “has been a ghost” on the campaign trail throughout August, was tied up “dodging bombs from Republicans who threatened to replace her running mate,” is touting a wrong-for-Michigan agenda rife with “solution[s] in search of a problem,” and is anchored at the top of the ticket with an SOS and AG candidate who like her are equally dyed-in-the-wool extremists.
Dixon can’t even garner support for her dangerous agenda from former GOP elected officials. This week, former state Rep. Susan Tabor penned an op-ed lambasting Dixon for her role in transforming the MIGOP “into a party of extremists and conspiracy theorists” as she continues to tout “culture wars and divisive rhetoric.”
It’s tough out there.
How Hard Can it Be to Report Less Than a Million Dollars?
And apparently it will get tougher still for Dixon. This morning, MLive reported on the complaint filed by MDP against her campaign, detailing that Dixon failed to report a fundraiser hosted by the DeVos family attended by nearly 200 people in violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act. To date, “the primary patrons of [her] gubernatorial bid” and their wealthy pals have donated over $200,000 directly to Dixon’s campaign during the previous reporting period.
The second “more problematic” own-goal here surrounds the fact that Dixon boasted about the fundraiser in campaign correspondence and shared photos from the event which showed the event was “clearly not in a home.” Even armchair campaign finance experts know that means her campaign also failed to report in-kind contributions or expenditures in relation to this fundraiser.
For those keeping score at home, this isn’t the first Bureau of Elections complaint to be levied against the DeVos sellout’s campaign operation. Just a few months ago, Dixon affiliated PAC Michigan Strong accepted a $5,000 contribution from an entity named “Tudor PAC.” Reporting from MIRS detailed that Tudor PAC was “non-existent” with a listed address attributed to a genetic screening company in Grand Rapids.
Dixon advisor Fred Wszolek acknowledged the donation was a violation as it had not been “properly reported.” Only after the complaint was made public did Wszolek say an amendment would be filed “at some point.”
No amount of shady reporting will be able to hide Dixon’s special interest ties from Michiganders.
MDP Tutored Tudor
We’re at the end of Back to School week! MDP spent it putting Tudor Dixon – through some good-old fashioned remedial tutoring. Across the state, educators and leaders reminded Michigan students, parents, and educators how disastrous her backwards education agenda would be to working families and our economy.
To recap, Tudor Dixon:
- Supports a plan that would cut $3.5 billion in resources to the School Aid Fund
- Wants to implement an extreme voucher plan that would divert $500 million of taxpayer money from public schools to privately-owned institutions
- Is in lockstep with Betsy DeVos on privatizing education, abolishing the Department of Education, and pushing her anti-public schools agenda
There will be a quiz on November 8th.
