GARRETT SOLDANO

Republicans running for Michigan governor have met in their first debate.

DETROIT, MI – Only half of the declared Republican candidates in the running for Michigan Governor were invited to participate in a GOP gubernatorial debate at the 2022 Mackinac Policy Conference next month. The five gubernatorial candidates who were not invited to participate includes Mike Brown, Tudor Dixon, Michael Markey Jr., Ralph Rebandt and Donna Brandenburg. They were invited to attend the Mackinac Policy Conference, but not to participate in the debate, the Chamber said. RELATED: Schools, COVID and Trump divide GOP candidates at Michigan’s first gubernatorial debateMichigan’s GOP primary election is scheduled for Aug. 2. More on MLive:5 takeaways from Republican candidates for governor in first 2022 debateWith Roe v. Wade at risk, Michigan LGBTQ community worried their rights may be nextUnemployment waivers bring relief to thousands.

Candidates in attendance included Mike Brown, Tudor Dixon, Perry Johnson, Ryan Kelley, Michael Markey Jr., Ralph Rebandt, Kevin Rinke and Garrett Soldano. Soldano, Kelley, Johnson and Rinke each signaled opposition to eliminating funding, but said funding should be assessed and likely reduced. Rinke and Kelley took the strongest stance against the state Department of Education, indicating they would consider abolishing the department. Dixon, Johnson, Kelley and Soldano would be in favor of an exception based on the health of the mother. Kelley, Johnson and Rebandt answered Trump, while the rest of the group said Ronald Reagan and/or Abraham Lincoln.

Eight GOP Gubernatorial hopefuls had a chance to woo primary voters at the Livingston County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. A debate, of sorts, was the feature of the evening.

Eight of Michigan’s 10 Republican candidates seeking to challenge Gov. All 10 candidates who legally qualified for the August 2022 Republican Primary ballot were invited to participate Thursday. In attendance were candidates Mike Brown, Tudor Dixon, Perry Johnson, Ryan Kelley, Michael Markey Jr., Ralph Rebandt, Kevin Rinke and Garrett Soldano. Each individual supported abortion bans, though Dixon, Rinke, Kelley, Perry, Brown and Markey noted various exceptions related to rape, incest or the life of the mother. Rebandt supports cutting off funds completely, while Brown, Dixon and Markey were opposed.

Now, the Republican candidates running for governor in Michigan want Trump’s blessing. Voters will narrow the field to a single Republican candidate for governor during the Aug. 2 primary election. But I can’t see into Trump’s mind … If you are able to read President Trump’s mind, I think you should get paid an extra bonus. But the reality of life is, I go by what I think is right for the state.”Tudor Dixon: “Yes, (I’m seeking Trump’s endorsement). I hear you’re doing well, too.”Others think Johnson is on the fast track to Trump’s endorsement – including Markey, one of the other candidates.

Ten Republicans have filed petitions to run for governor by the deadline, a record number in recent history, creating a huge field for a primary electorate that will decide who challenges Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

Soldano is one of 12 Republicans hoping to challenge Whitmer in the 2022 election.

State Police Capt. Mike Brown on Tuesday submitted nominating petitions to run for governor, saying he brings “trusted leadership” to what is expected to be a large Republican primary field vying to challenge Democratic Gov. Gretchen...

Still, Whitmer collected 48,214 donations from Michigan residents and 73,802 donations of $200 or less. Johnson pledged to match Whitmer’s fourth-quarter fundraising total with $2.5 million of his own cash. More than half of Whitmer’s donors gave more than $1,000. Craig had 15,068 donors who gave $200 or less, roughly 10,000 fewer than Soldano and 58,000 fewer than Whitmer. Craig collected $339,292 from donors who gave more than $1,000, which made up only 17% of his total fundraising.

KALAMAZOO, MI — Kalamazoo City Hall and city facilities will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 2, due to severe winter weather, the city said in a news release Tuesday afternoon. City offices are being closed due to the forecasted winter storm starting Tuesday, Feb. 1, or in the early morning on Wednesday, the city of Kalamazoo said. Related: When the snowstorm starts: Timeline on the heavy snowEssential services such as snow plowing, utilities, and public safety services will continue to operate, the city said. The city of Kalamazoo is ready to begin work to clear roads on Tuesday night, Public Services Director James Baker told MLive. “Starting at 10 p.m. tonight we intend to have staff performing winter operations around the clock, 24 hours a day, through the duration of the event,” Baker said.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Garrett Soldano believes survivors of rape who become pregnant should give birth, aligning with efforts to end legal exceptions for victims of crime. A minority of Americans believe abortion should be illegal in all cases, and exceptions for rape and incest have enjoyed broad support historically. But anti-abortion activists who hope a conservative-majority Supreme Court will roll back abortion rights are pushing for laws to prevent abortion in all circumstances.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's reelection campaign reported Monday that it raised an additional $2.5 million over two months but that it also transferred out $3.8 million it cannot spend because Republicans' longshot recall efforts failed.

Perry Johnson, a “quality guru” who founded a company that certifies if businesses are meeting industrial standards, filed papers Thursday to run for Michigan governor.

LANSING, MI -- Garrett Soldano is the first Republican gubernatorial hopeful to submit signatures to get on the ballot in 2022. When 2021 campaign finance filings are available, Soldano said they will show his campaign raised $1.2 million in the last eight months. Related: Republican gubernatorial hopeful Garrett Soldano models transparency platform off Whitmer’s promisesAnother potential game-changer is the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Soldano also addressed accusations from the Michigan Democratic Party that he hocked supplements as a way to fight off COVID-19. READ MORE ON MLIVE:State board approves language for election audit, $15 min.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Garrett Soldano unveiled a set of transparency and anti-corruption proposals that might sound familiar to Michigan Democrats. Soldano, a Kalamazoo chiropractor, said his “Michigan Sunshine 2.0″ platform is modeled after reforms Gov. Related: Whitmer campaigned on transparency, but Michigan still lags the nation“This is a bipartisan issue,” Soldano said. He also criticized non-disclosure agreements signed by Whitmer and state lawmakers regarding potential development projects that could benefit from a new $1 billion incentive package signed into law last year. Maeve Coyle, communications director for Whitmer’s re-election campaign, said the governor has taken multiple actions to improve transparency in state government.

A new poll offers some insight on where Michigan voters stand in the state’s upcoming election for governor.

The race to be Michigan’s next governor is heating up.

While most Republican gubernatorial candidates gather at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference later this month, Garrett Soldano will be up north for a different event: a grassroots rally in Antrim County. “The GOP establishment has already attempted to rig the primary in favor of their hand-picked candidate,” Soldano said in a press release. It takes place from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Friske Farm Market in Ellsworth, Michigan. The semi-annual event takes place on Mackinac Island features nationally prominent speakers. The primary election to land on a Republican gubernatorial candidate takes place next August.

But candidate Garrett Soldano, the party’s current fundraising leader, won’t be attending. He’s a political newcomer with grassroots clout and views the conference as being for the political elite. The straw poll usually includes questions that end up ranking primary candidates for an important office. And I don’t see how the party straw poll won’t be rigged,” Soldano said. Tudor Dixon plans to attend, but a spokesperson said she would not participate in a straw poll due to concerns it would be rigged.

Michigan campaign finance law caps individuals’ donations to candidate committees, with the max being $7,150 for the governor’s race. Michigan campaign finance law caps individuals’ donations to candidate committees. Whitmer and Governors under threat of recall are exempt from campaign finance limits to defend themselves,” Fisk said. Read more: Oversized donations to Whitmer prompt campaign finance complaintGarrett Soldano out-raises other Republican candidates for governor at $625kRepublican Garrett Soldano announced a gubernatorial run this week. His total includes a $25,000 loan from his own pocket, listed on campaign finance paperwork as a debt owed by the committee.

Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano raised nearly $625,000 since launching his run for governor, topping the field of Republican candidates vying to face Democrat Gretchen Whitmer next year.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has raised $8.6 million for her reelection bid so far this year, breaking a record for the most money raised by a...

Kalamazoo County Chiropractor Garrett Soldano far outraised the rest of the Republican candidates vying for the chance to run against Gov. “The party bosses think they get to decide who the next Republican nominee for Governor will be, but they’re wrong -- that’s up to We the People. In total, her campaign has raised $14.2 million this cycle -- topping the $13 million she raised in the entire lead-up to her successful 2018 election. The two biggest Republican candidates -- then-Lt. Gov. Here’s how much other 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidates raised this year:- Pastor Ralph Rebandt raised $170,221, much of it in loans from himself.

Tudor Dixon, a Muskegon County Republican, is a married mother of four, a cancer survivor, and a TV news host, according to her website.

A year ago, Garrett Soldano would have laughed at anybody who suggested he run for governor out of his house. It was a Facebook group he started, Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine, that would end up putting Soldano on that path. In the process of opposing the orders, Soldano connected with people all over Michigan and after a lot of reflection, decided to run for governor. He went to school to be a chiropractor because he wanted to help people, he said, and became a small business owner when he started Soldano Family Chiropractic Center in Kalamazoo. Former President Donald Trump was among his inspirations to run for office, Soldano said, citing him as a leader who ran and won office without having previously been a politician.

click to enlarge Steve NeavlingA scene from a Stand Up Michigan rally in Lansing on May 14. This kind of crap, having a swarm of people come from places with higher rates of Covid puts our area at higher risk [than] we are now. I WONT BE A PART OF IT.Its unclear whether Stand Up Michigan received a permit to hold the festival. Neither the city manager nor the police department responded to calls fromMeanwhile, the River County Chamber of Commerce of Newaygo County has postponed its Memorial Day Weekend Festival to July because of the state's stay-at-home order.Gov. It was one of four private groups, featured in a Metro Times story , that was filled with violent and sexist rants.