Two state GOP lawmakers enter race for governor (Jack Hoogendyk and Nancy Cassis)

AP ^ | 2-3-05 | David Eggert

[Dan from Michigan]

Two state GOP lawmakers enter race for governor
2/3/2005, 5:51 p.m. ET
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two Republican state lawmakers said Thursday they were running for governor, the first two candidates to enter the race.

Sen. Nancy Cassis of Novi and Rep. Jack Hoogendyk of Kalamazoo both criticized Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm for not leading the state through difficult economic times.

They are the first Republicans to announce they're challenging Granholm, who faces re-election in 2006. She has not yet officially said she's running, but a "Granholm for Gov." Web site urges supporters to donate their time and money to her campaign.

Cassis, 61, said Granholm is vulnerable because she hasn't made the decisions necessary to keep and create jobs while balancing the budget without raising taxes. She pointed to the state's 7.3 percent unemployment rate for December as proof the governor isn't doing the job.

"It's time for a change," said Cassis, a former school psychologist and Novi city council member who served three terms in the House before moving to the Senate. "We need a governor who is not afraid to lead."

Cassis and Granholm sparred last year over a budget-balancing measure that moved up when county property taxes were due from winter to summer to offset lost state revenue sharing dollars. Granholm said tax bills wouldn't go up, but Cassis said it was a tax increase that will force those with fixed incomes to pay their bills earlier.

Granholm political spokesman Chris De Witt said Cassis' accusations are false since they ignore the efforts the governor has made to increase jobs. Granholm last week unveiled a business tax restructuring plan that will lower taxes for corporations and small businesses.

De Witt also noted that Cassis has previously said she was encouraged that Granholm was embracing some GOP economic proposals.

"Gov. Granholm is not focusing on the Republican candidates," De Witt said. "They can focus on themselves for the time being. Gov. Granholm is focused on improving Michigan's economy, schools and health care."

Republicans say Granholm is vulnerable, particularly on the leadership issue, because of the state's high unemployment rate and ongoing budget difficulties. They note that her approval ratings have slipped in recent months, a sign the popular governor may be losing some of her attraction to voters.

So far, no well-funded heavyweight has joined the fray. But Saul Anuzis, likely to be elected the state GOP's new chairman on Saturday, said he expects business executives Domino's Pizza Inc. Chairman and CEO David Brandon of Ann Arbor or former Alticor Corp. President Dick DeVos of Ada may run.

"Both of them have expressed an interest," Anuzis said. "Both of them have people who are actively supporting and pushing them."

Better-known challengers may not materialize until September, when state Republicans hold their biennial leadership conference on Mackinac Island.

Hoogendyk, who will officially announce his candidacy Friday in Grand Rapids, calls himself a dark horse.

"That is what's so great about this country. We can do these things and succeed," he said, pointing to the examples of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Ronald Reagan. "Who would have thought Conan the Barbarian could be the governor? Who would have thought that the president of the Screen Actors Guild could be president?"

Before he was elected in 2002, Hoogendyk was a sales and marketing executive and the director of a nonprofit organization in Kalamazoo that helped young women handle unplanned pregnancies.

Hoogendyk said he will begin talking to party leaders, community activists and voters in each of the state's 83 counties. He said he's committed to the race but wouldn't talk about a possible primary matchup with Cassis or other Republicans who get into the race.

"This is about Jennifer Granholm and me," he said. "The problem with our current governor is that she's not leading. She appears unwilling or unable to make the decisions necessary to move this state forward."

Republican Sen. Valde Garcia of Howell also is considering a run.

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Associated Press writer Amy F. Bailey contributed to this report.

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[Dan from Michigan]

It's a longshot, but certainly not impossible. Engler in 90 and Lenin in 78 were big upsets. So was Miller in 94. Abraham won as a state senator and beat a congressman in an open seat.

You never know.

[quantim]

It is going to take another woman to beat Granholm in this state, JMO. The massive tax hikes (fees) by Grandstander is good campaign fodder. I am more optimistic about the recovering the governorship than I am about a senator in the coming years.