Debate 'Did Little to Change' Tudor Dixon's Chance in Governor Race: Expert

Michigan's first gubernatorial debate between Republican nominee Tudor Dixon and incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer "likely did little to change the overall trajectory" of the November midterm race, according to the University of Michigan's director of debate.

The debate, hosted Thursday evening in Grand Rapids, opened with questions on the issue of abortion and covered topics ranging from schools and gun safety to roads and infrastructure. Whitmer, who was elected governor in 2019, played heavily on her past bipartisan acts in office, while Dixon said that the governor was full of "empty promises" and wanted voters to "forget how hard the last four years have been."

Dixon is currently trailing the governor by 9.4 points just weeks before the election, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Aaron Kall, director of the University of Michigan's debate program, told Newsweek in a statement Thursday night that while Dixon "did her very best to hold her own" during a "high profile debate," he doesn't anticipate the "tone and tenor of the race" to take a sharp change.

"Tonight's debate was well spirited and hotly contested," Kall said, "but likely did little to change the overall trajectory of the gubernatorial race."

"[Dixon] was a solid and a quick-witted debater, but her tone over the hour-long debate was a little dark and ominous," Kall wrote, adding that the candidate "eschewed optimism."

Repeated Attacks

Dixon reiterated many of the attacks she's previously made against Whitmer's policies, including on the issue of crime, noting that the governor has said she supports the "spirit" of the phrase "defund the police." Dixon also pushed Whitmer on issues of economy and inflation, including the debate around Line 5, an oil pipeline that Whitmer has pushed to cease operations due to the environmental risk it poses on the Great Lakes region.

Dixon argued that shutting down the line would only continue to raise the price of gas and heating bills for voters, but said that Whitmer "likes the political benefit" of ordering it to be shut down.

Whitmer, however, called Dixon out multiple times for using "divisive rhetoric," and even at one point offered to give her Republican opponent her 30 seconds of allotted time to answer a question about gun reform laws that the governor said her opponent had failed to address.

"I think what you heard from my opponent tonight is divisive rhetoric to pit us against each other for her own political gain," Whitmer said in her closing statement. "I don't have time for that. I don't think you do either."

"Zingers" with a "Political Touch"

Kall described the overall debate by noting that both candidates had plenty of "memorable debate zingers that were deployed with a deft political touch."

Whitmer repeated twice during the debate that, as a mother, she was "furious" that guns were the number one killer of children in the U.S. She also reiterated while answering two separate questions on gun violence that she supported background checks and red flag laws.

On the other hand, Dixon used her closing statement "to discuss hot-button social issues," said Kall, such as the issue of transgender students in schools.

"[Whitmer] also said that she cares about women but she would gladly put little boys in your daughter's locker room," Dixon said during her closing argument. "She also said she cares about parents, but she hasn't stood for parents who have said, 'Why do we have adults whispering sex and gender into the ears of our little kids?'"

Dixon's statement was deemed "cruel" in a tweet by the Equality Michigan Action Network, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for the LGBTQ community. Former Michigan State Representative Jon Hoadley, a Democrat, also acknowledged Dixon's comment while quote tweeting Equality Michigan, writing that "we can't let hate win."

"Dixon has proven she won't be a leader for everyone," Hoadley added.

Dixon's press team shared a release with Newsweek Thursday night compiling statements from politicians and local leaders who have praised the Republican nominee for "holding Whitmer accountable." Among the statements, candidate for Michigan Attorney General Matt DePerno said that there were "more proactive solutions coming from Tudor Dixon tonight than we have seen from Whitmer over the last four years."

"One thing was clear tonight, while Gretchen continues to provide lip service and no real action, Tudor demonstrated true leadership and willingness to put Michigan families first," DePerno wrote.

The gubernatorial candidates will face off again on October 25 at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

Newsweek reached out to Whitmer's press team for further comment on tonight's debate.