Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn

Barbecue, speeches and photos are part of grilling, whether you are with family or Governor Whitmer. In a campaign event the day after the GOP primary determined her opponent, Whitmer had all three. On August 2, the Trump-endorsed businesswoman Tudor Dixon won the Republican nomination for governor of Michigan. “Grillin’ with Gretchen” is a recurring themed event for the Governor this summer as she seeks re-election this November. “We cannot make any assumptions about what the outcome of this election’s going to be — we’ve got to protect voting rights, we’ve got to protect reproductive rights, we’ve got to protect civil rights,” Whitmer said in her short speech.

Dixon, a former steel industry executive and conservative political commentator, wants to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest, only allowing it to save the life of the parent. Dixon has benefited from as much as $4 million in donations from former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her family. Dixon is also attacking the education system in her campaign. She says she will stop “critical race theory” – a legal theory taught to graduate students in law school – from being taught in public K-12 schools. Dixon also supports a version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill being passed in Michigan, and would try to block transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity.

The next “Grillin’ with Gretchen” event will happen in Ann Arbor on August 25 for those who missed the last one. Volunteers will go door to door asking voters to support Governor Whitmer before it is once again time for barbecue, speeches and photos.