SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Sitting down with candidates in the race for Michigan governor, I’ve talked one-on-one with those seeking to lead our state.
FULL INTERVIEW: Republican candidate for Governor Tom Leonard
The most recent candidate to enter the race is Tom Leonard, a former prosecutor and state House speaker who stopped by Broadcast House on Thursday.
Watch Simon Shaykhet's video report:
He shared more about himself before we dove into the issues.
“A prosecutor in Flint, a former speaker of the House, I was President Trump’s U.S. attorney nominee for the Western District of Michigan. But most importantly, a father," Leonard said.
Leonard is a partner at Plunkett Cooney law firm in Southeast Michigan.
He says he’s motivated by three reasons: “Hannah, Thomas and Danny — my 8 year old, 5-year-old and 1-year-old.”
The Republican candidate says he sees tremendous potential for Michigan to thrive by tackling key issues.
“When you look at the state of our state right now, the first two decades of this century, Michigan was 49th out of 50 for population growth,” Leonard said.
He says income growth and education are among his top priorities.
“Literacy tutors in the classroom to assist these teachers and get these children the help that they need,” Leonard said. “We can no longer pass a child along if they can’t read at a proficient level.”
“Less than 40% of our children statewide, third graders can read at a proficient level. A lot of issues in our state and my No. 1 priority is to make Michigan a growth state again.”
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He told me income tax reform is a major focus along with mental health reform to help 20% of Michiganders suffering from an issue but not getting help they need.
I also asked Leonard about attracting jobs including the auto and manufacturing industries and his plan to do that.
“No. 1, bring back right-to-work (laws). Michigan was middle pack for unemployment a couple years ago until right-to-work was repealed. Now, we're 49 out of 50,” he said.
On the topic of mass shootings, Leonard told me he sees a crisis.
“We have to address this crisis. Again, 20% of our state suffers from a mental health issue — half of them are not getting treatment,” he said.
On women’s rights, he says he’s pro-life but would not attempt to challenge abortion rights enshrined into the state’s constitution.
As for infrastructure, Leonard believes more money from taxes at the pump should go to fixing roads.
He wants to make significant changes to public safety as well, giving more funding, support and staff for prosecutors and changing state police leadership at the top to improve morale.
“On day one, this state needs a new state police colonel,” Leonard said.
Leonard added that he opposes implicit bias training for police and also wants to bring more productivity to the state Capitol, working with both sides to combat division. He says his prior record is clear.
“When I was speaker, one of my top priorities was getting rid of driver responsibility fees here in the state of Michigan,” Leonard said. “Open records and FOIA reform, that was a big issue for me when I was House speaker.”
“I’ve got a strong track record of not only working across the aisle but also getting things done.”
Leonard says he draws inspiration from Detroit Lions football coach Dan Campbell. Leonard believes in grit, hard work and solving problems to lead our state.
Watch more interviews with gubernatorial candidates in the videos below:
Republican Mike Cox
Republican Aric Nesbitt
Republican Antony Hudson
Democrat Garlin Gilchrist
Democrat Jocelyn Benson
Democrat Chris Swanson
Independent Mike Duggan
