Throughout this gubernatorial cycle, James Craig’s campaign has featured a much-hyped listening tour of Michigan that “apparently never materialized” and a “mostly quiet” public schedule generally. There is one venue that the Detroit Dodger hasn’t been afraid to frequent, however. Craig’s segment last weekend on Your World With Neil Cavuto marked his 50th appearance on national cable news since announcing his retirement in May.
There are two main staples of Craig’s hits. First, he is almost always opining on national topics that are not focusedMichigan and are unrelated to the job he is campaigning for.. Secondly, they are always led by chummy anchors he knows will only ask softball questions rather than hold him accountable – the ideal sandbox for Craig to test out his “scripted, canned talking points.”
Michigan reporters and voters alike haven’t had nearly as much of an opportunity to interact with Craig directly. The last time his campaign schedule was publicly accessible was during his disastrous September campaign reboot described as the “messiest gubernatorial campaign announcement event” in state history.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crowded field has been angling for paid visibility . Kevin Rinke recently entered the gubernatorial race with a six-figure ad buy, Garrett Soldano is up on TV as well, and he along with Tudor Dixon and Ryan Kelly have garnered sizable crowds at the in-person rallies they’ve been holding across Michigan for months.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“James Craig’s national cable residency clearly communicates to Michiganders that he’s perfectly capable of keeping a robust schedule, he simply isn’t interested in venues where he’d have to discuss issues that matter to them. With so much at stake, our working families deserve a leader who can actually put them first, not just play one on TV.”
