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Just days before Tuesday’s primary, Trump endorsed Tudor Dixon, a conservative commentator who has rallied the support of prominent Republicans in the state, even as she fends off criticism that she is an establishment candidate who isn’t “MAGA” enough to inspire the base of the GOP.
“I’ve talked about this at length, about the 2020 election,” Dixon said. “It was unlike any election we’ve ever seen, obviously because of the pandemic. But in Michigan, there were some things that happened in Michigan that didn’t happen in other states, which is very concerning.”
In interviews with CNN, Dixon’s opponents were quick to denounce her for appearing to soften her views on the 2020 election.
Garrett Soldano, a chiropractor vying for the GOP nomination, criticized Dixon for avoiding the 2020 election issue and doubled down on his support for the former president.
“In my humble opinion, the election was stolen,” he said in an interview. “I’m not even endorsed by President Trump and I still have his back.”
Soldano then looked straight into the CNN camera lens, as if hoping to address Trump directly.
“Although, sir, you did not endorse me, you are still my president,” Soldano said.
Businessman-turned-candidate Kevin Rinke also attacked Dixon for dancing around election falsehoods.
“She got the nod, and within 48 hours, when she was asked on national television if the election was stolen, she changed her mind,” Rinke said. “That’s what politicians do. Tudor Dixon is the Republican version of Gretchen Whitmer — “I’ll say anything, I’ll do anything for position and power,” he said, referring to the state’s Democratic governor.
Rinke didn’t go so far as to claim the election was stolen and acknowledged that Joe Biden is president. Still, he said he believes there were “irregularities” in 2020.
Meanwhile, Ryan Kelly, a real estate broker in the race, has essentially turned his arrest for alleged involvement in the Capitol riot into a fundraising campaign.
“Look how hard these people are trying to shut me up,” Kelly said during the GOP primary debate in July. “I was arrested. I got kicked out of Airbnb.”
Republican activists here rallied behind Trump-loving, election-denying candidates. At an endorsement convention earlier this year, Republicans endorsed Cristina Karamo for secretary of state and Matthew DePerno for attorney general, paving the way for formal nominations later this year. If they win in November, they will be in key positions to oversee the state election.
But the prospect of Dixon at the top of the ticket has angered some Trump supporters, especially regarding her less-than-enthusiastic embrace of base-fuelling campaign lies.
“I think she’s paid lip service to President Trump and his supporters on these issues, but only when she’s really had to,” GOP political strategist Jon Yob said in an interview.
“President Trump is still very popular among conservative voters, so I think his endorsement will definitely have an impact on this race,” Job said. “However, it also puts things in a bit of a precarious situation, with some of his supporters left dazed and confused because they were behind other, perhaps more MAGA-oriented, candidates and now suddenly he has backed the establishment. “
The former president’s team did not share concerns that Dixon might not be as vocal on election issues, a person close to Trump said.
Dixon largely dismissed the criticism.
“I think it’s interesting,” she said of the election-related barbs from her GOP opponents, “because my Democratic opponents actually have a whole list — a whole list of reasons why they hate me because of the election, right? I guess it’s just a campaign tactic.”
Dixon said she believed she could get a boost from Trump’s endorsement, but declined to say whether she would back him if he ran for president again in 2024, insisting he was focused on 2022.
“I feel honored to receive the endorsement. I feel like we’re really bringing everyone together in the Republican Party,” she said. “So we feel really good about how Tuesday will end, but we’re still fighting.”
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