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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer is projected to win against challenger Republican challenger Tudor Dixon in the 2022 Midterm race according to the Associated Press and FOX News.
With 33 percent of the votes counted, Whitmer had 51 percent of the vote leading to her being projected the winner. Dixon had 46.6 percent of the vote.
Dixon on her part, is not conceding the race at her election night party in Grand Rapids.
"This race is going to be too close to call, despite what FOX thinks," she said to a crowd of supporters. "The results continue to trickle in, the major counties have a very very long way to go. Macomb is now telling us that they won't even have any numbers until tomorrow morning, so it's definitely going to be a late night for us."
"We're going to stay up all night and we're going to watch these votes. We don't accept that FOX is calling this because we know that this is too close to call because there are so many more votes out there and we are going to get this done."
The governor's race between Democrat Incumbent Whitmer and Dixon is Michigan's most consequential statewide election in four years and one of the most significant races in the 2022 Midterm race.
Whitmer has been in office for major policy changes like auto insurance, the global pandemic that paralyzed the state's economy and threatened the public health of millions, and the subject of a kidnapping conspiracy by extremists.
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Whitmer celebrates, stop short of declaring victory in Governor's race
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appears to be headed towards a second term as the state's leader but stopped short of declaring victory over Tudor Dixon early Wednesday morning.
She was also a major political figure during the 2020 election which saw the balance of political power shift in both the U.S. Senate and the White House.
The electoral landscape has shifted in the two years that have passed and candidates with establishment backgrounds and ceded ground to political newcomers - like Dixon, a conservative media personality and businesswoman who hails from the west side of Michigan.
Dixon wasn't polling well when she first entered the gubernatorial race in May 2021. At the time, she hosted a daily radio show called America's Voice Live where she often criticized the policies of Democrats including Whitmer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She was one of 10 candidates who filed signatures for the Republican Primary, later winning the nominating contest after she secured former President Donald Trump's endorsement just days before the August Primary.
The race is the first Michigan governor election featuring two women from both major parties. Both candidates have also explained very different visions for how they would approach the governorship.
Dixon has been part of the charge on the culture wars that have been themes among Republican circles, focusing on parental rights in schools. Whitmer has campaigned on her track record while in office and major political issues like abortion access in Michigan.
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Tudor Dixon refuses to concede after FOX calls governor's race for Gretchen Whitmer
Republican Tudor Dixon says she does not accept the results reported by FOX News that Governor Gretchen Whitmer won re-election and said her campaign won't sleep until every vote is counted.
While the incumbent can benefit from name recognition and Whitmer has maintained a sizable campaign chest, polls in recent weeks have shown the race tightening between her and Dixon.
More Election Results
- Michigan election day guide and results for Nov. 8, 2022
- Interactive map: Michigan Election results for Nov. 8, 2022
- Election Day Results: Michigan's three proposals
- Michigan election results: Ballot Proposal 1
- Michigan Election Results: Ballot Proposal 2
- Michigan Election Results: Ballot Proposal 3 to add abortion to state constitution
- Michigan Election Results: Jocelyn Benson vs. Kristina Karamo in secretary of state election
- Michigan election results: Attorney general race
- Michigan Election Results: 6th Congressional District
- Michigan Election Results: 7th Congressional District - Slotkin vs Barrett
- Michigan Election Results: 10th Congressional District - John James vs. Carl Marlinga
- Michigan Election Results: 11th Congressional District - Haley Stevens vs Mark Ambrose
- Michigan Election Results: 12th Congressional District - Rashida Tlaib vs. Steven Elliott
- Michigan Election Results: 13th Congressional District - Shri Thanedar vs. Martell Bivings
Here's a breakdown of the issues that have dominated the race for governor:
Abortion
Reproductive health and the right to an abortion are among the top issues on the ballot. Proposal 3, which asks voters if they would want to enshrine the right to get an abortion in the state constitution, is considered to be a major draw to the polls during the Midterms.
The issue has also been a talking point among both candidates. Whitmer has repeatedly tied herself to the issue of access, criticizing Dixon for supporting the state's 1931-era ban on the practice with almost no exception.
Whitmer has pushed for legal and safe access to the practice. Dixon has called Prop 3 "too extreme" but has also written on Twitter that voters could both "vote for Gretchen Whitmer's abortion agenda & still vote against her."
Education
Coming out of the pandemic's most severe infection waves, it was in schools where different political stripes clashed often. Criticisms over state and district-mandated remote learning eventually transitioned to other arguments over how involved parents should be in the curriculum of their child's education.
Dixon is running on a "Preserve Parents' Rights" campaign, arguing against teaching subjects of sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ themes in schools. She also criticized Whitmer for her veto of a program that would have allocated funding for private reading. Her website also says she wants to create an Education Savings Account fund tutoring programs to help students with learning loss.
Whitmer has touted her education budget that used pandemic funds to help boost the investment toward schools. She's also made programs that fund secondary education in community colleges and promised to aid frontline workers in their educational pursuits.
Economy/Inflation
The economy and the rising cost of food and other items have dominated both debates between Whitmer and Dixon. Both clashed on issues of inflation, tax breaks for major car companies, and the cost of energy.
Whitmer has continued to tout legislative bills she has signed that she has sold as pro-business including attracting projects from General Motors and Ford. She also recently celebrated the announcement of two new battery manufacturers who said they would construct plants in Michigan.
Dixon says she wants to reduce the personal income tax and eventually phase it out to make the state more like Texas and Florida. She has advocated for reducing government regulations by 40%.