(WXYZ) — The final gubernatorial debate presented by 7 Action News took place Wednesday night at Oakland College. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon went head to head, slinging accusations back and forth.
They sparred on a number of issues, everything from abortion to education. Many assertions by both candidates were accurate, but it often depended on the context.
“We have an opportunity to enshrine Roe into law by supporting ballot initiative 3,” said Whitmer. “Now the other side will say all sort of wild-eyed things that are not true. Parental rights and consent will still be effective. We know that regulations will still be in effect.”
Dixon challenged this assertion.
“The governor has just been dishonest with you in her very first answer. We know that proposal 3 does remove parental consent,” she said.
So which is it? Under the current law, those under 18 need written consent from a parent unless they petition the court to prove they are “sufficiently mature.” If Proposal 3 were to pass, the parental consent law should remain unless changed by lawmakers or challenged in court.
Dave Dulio, professor of Political Science at Oakland University and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement said this is likely how it will play out regardless.
“Those who are supportive of Prop 3 don’t see things like parental consent being in conflict with the amendment. Those that oppose it, do put it in that category and are using it as an argument for voters to oppose prop 3. So at the end of the day, I imagine this ends up in court, and it’s going to be up to judges to decide,” Dulio said.
Another hot topic during the debate was education. It quickly turned into a back-and-forth about shutting down schools during the pandemic which produced this notable exchange.
“Mrs. Dixon says I kept students out longer than any other state. That’s just not true. I worked closely with my Republican and Democratic governors and kids were out for three months,” said Whitmer.
Dixon looked shocked at what she heard.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I just heard an audible gasp around town when Gretchen Whitmer said kids were out of school for three months. Perhaps she wasn’t paying attention to what was actually happening even, we had schools that were closed this year,” said Dixon.
While the claim might seem impossible short to many, technically it’s true. Whitmer closed Michigan schools between April to June 2020 by executive order. Then the following winter, schools were closed for 3 weeks by health order. However, many districts kept classrooms closed for much longer.
Dulio said it depends on one’s perspective when it comes to Whitmer’s statement.
“She’s on firm ground. And she would say it’s three months because that’s all that my orders applied to,” said Dulio. “But we can’t forget that the MDHHS was involved and they report to her.
He said this is lost on the average voter.
“They don’t care why. They just know that their kids were out of school for a year,” he said.
Dulio said he does think the debate made a difference in helping people solidify their position. Yet, he said if only 10% of people were undecided, that could make a big difference in this increasingly tight race for governor.
