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Jennifer Granholm debated Dick DeVos in Detroit. Has anyone followed the outcome? With any kind of honest election, Jennifer will become a one-term Governor. In her time in office, she has not done one thing that has helped the state but has blamed President Bush for all the problems Michigan faces. She drones on about jobs being out-sourced without addressing the fact that most of Michigan's outsourcing is not going to other countries but is going to other STATES. Her recent action to increase the minimum wage in Michigan is only going to drive more businesses out of the state...

Below are the results of a three-day poll of likely voters in the state of Michigan. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Michigan, aged 18+, and conducted April 17-19, 2006. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and his wife gave the private foundation they run more than $29 million during a recent three-year period and handed out nearly $10 million from the foundation to schools, think tanks and various charities over that time. They were the only contributors to the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, which donated an average of $3.3 million annually in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The largest beneficiary of the foundation those three years was the Education Freedom Fund, which got $978,000. Dick and Betsy DeVos are on the board of the fund, which...

Granholm appoints new state treasurer 4/6/2006, 12:56 p.m. ET By DAVID EGGERT The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Thursday tapped an economist who 30 years ago helped create the state's Single Business Tax to join her cabinet as the new state treasurer. Robert Kleine, a former director of the state Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis, will replace Jay Rising, who resigned in late February to become vice president and chief financial officer for the Detroit Medical Center hospital system. The treasurer oversees the collection, investment and disbursement of state money. "It is a challenging...

Michigan voters are in a foul mood and overwhelmingly pessimistic about the state's prospects, according to a poll released Wednesday. Three of four voters believe Michigan is headed in the wrong direction - that's the highest number recorded since Marketing Resource Group of Lansing started asking the question twice a year in 1985. Six months ago, 62 percent said the state was headed in the wrong direction. "It's the worst that we've ever seen," said MRG pollster Paul King. Voters "see things as really bad, and they don't see it getting better." The poll of 600 registered voters was conducted...

Angus Reid Global Scan) – Jennifer Granholm remains the top candidate in Michigan’s gubernatorial race, according to a poll by EPIC/MRA. 51 per cent of respondents in the Great Lake State would vote for the incumbent in a head-to-head contest against Republican Dick DeVos. Granholm—a Democrat—was elected in the November 2002 election, defeating Republican challenger Dick Posthumus with 51 per cent of the vote. Support for Granholm dropped by two points since January, while backing for DeVos—the former chief executive officer at Alticor and husband of former state Republican chairwoman Betsy DeVos—is now at 41 per cent, up five points....

Granholm holds lead but DeVos gains, poll says 3/9/2006, 11:13 p.m. ET By JOHN FLESHER The Associated Press (AP) — Republican challenger Dick DeVos is edging closer to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, but the Democratic incumbent remains ahead as voters hold her less accountable than President Bush for Michigan's economic woes, according to poll results released Thursday. The telephone survey, conducted Sunday through Wednesday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA for WXYZ-TV in Southfield, also showed Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow well ahead of her three potential GOP rivals. Fifty-one percent of the 600 likely voters polled supported Granholm, while 41 percent backed DeVos....

DETROIT -- Michigan has a problem: Its prosperity is withering as America's automobile industry withers. So Gov. Jennifer Granholm has a problem: She is seeking re-election in this cold economic climate. Her likely Republican opponent, Dick DeVos, has a problem: People are appalled by the state's condition, but they like Granholm. As does DeVos: ``She's a really nice person.'' The result may be a rarity -- an outbreak of gentility in politics. Debates about economic policies involve splittable differences, so civility might actually be served by the seriousness of Michigan's crisis. The focus on traditional economic issues may preclude any...

"Dick DeVos is a man of integrity," said Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo. "He has a track record of leadership in business and a history of leadership in working to improve education in our state. Furthermore, he is an example of leadership by the way he lives his life and I have great respect for him. We need a leader for Michigan that people can put their trust in to do what is needed in this state to change the economic climate. I am happy to offer my endorsement and I look forward to helping him any way I can as he continues...

DeVos selects former Bush strategist as senior adviser 8/3/2005, 5:32 p.m. ET The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A former campaign strategist for President Bush has signed up to help Dick DeVos in his bid to become Michigan's next governor. Matthew Dowd is the DeVos campaign's new senior adviser, the campaign announced Wednesday. DeVos, a Republican, wants to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm in the 2006 election. Dowd was a strategist and pollster for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in the 2004 election. He previously was senior adviser to the Republican National Committee and was director...

Granholm leads DeVos in poll; over half give positive job rating 7/8/2005, 5:16 p.m. ET By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm leads likely Republican opponent Dick DeVos 51 percent to 33 percent in a new poll released Friday. Sixteen percent were undecided. The governor's job approval and favorability ratings remain above 50 percent, nearly unchanged since March. Republicans have criticized Granholm for not doing enough to help boost the state's struggling economy, but the sharp words apparently have not done much to dent how voters feel about her. The latest poll...

DeVos raps Granholm at GOP rally Thursday, June 09, 2005 By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Dick DeVos signaled his opposition to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's two cornerstone economic platforms Wednesday, and assailed the state Democratic Party chairman for comments he made about DeVos' business experience. DeVos, meeting with GOP activists for the first time since declaring he would run for governor last week, was a special guest at the Kent County Republicans' spring reception at the Louis Benton Steak House downtown. Nearly 300 local activists showed up for the event to get an early glimpse of...

All eyes are on race for governor Web-posted Jun 6, 2005 By SVEN GUSTAFSON Of The Oakland Press MACKINAC ISLAND - If there were an overriding theme to this year's Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference, it was that both the state and Detroit face crisis situations. Political and business leaders heard repeatedly that bold thinking, more aggressive marketing and less partisan political stalemates are needed if the state is to right its rapidly sinking ship. And while politically, the Detroit mayoral race figured largest at the 25th annual conference, next year's gubernatorial race gained noteworthy attention at the event....

The son of one of Forbes magazine's 200 richest people said Thursday that he will run for governor in 2006. Dick DeVos, 49, said at a policy conference that "I'm intending to be a candidate." He is the son of Richard DeVos, said by Forbes magazine to have a net worth of about $3 billion.

Dick DeVos, the former president of Alticor Inc., has announced that he will run for governor of Michigan in the 2006 election. DeVos told 24 Hour News 8 the news on Thursday while on Mackinac Island where he is attending a conference this weekend. DeVos is a major Republican donor and the husband of former state GOP Chairwoman Betsy DeVos. He filed paperwork last month with the Secretary of State Office. Creating an exploratory committee is a first step toward forming a full campaign committee.

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In the race? DeVos steps to line Tuesday, March 08, 2005 By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Republican activists are just waiting for Dick DeVos to make his final move on the path to running for governor. The anticipation ratcheted up a notch after DeVos, the former CEO of Alticor, filed paperwork with the state's election office last week to form an exploratory committee. "At this point, it's a good sign for all of us," said Gary Granger, a Grand Rapids developer and a close acquaintance of DeVos. "At this point, it tells me he's the...

Dick DeVos creates exploratory committee for gubernatorial bid 3/5/2005, 4:20 p.m. ET The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Dick DeVos, a southwestern Michigan businessman and a major Republican donor, has taken a step toward running for governor next year by creating an exploratory committee. DeVos, the husband of former state GOP Chairwoman Betsy DeVos, on Friday filed paperwork with the secretary of state's office, the Detroit Free Press reported. Creating an exploratory committee is a first step toward forming a full campaign committee. DeVos, president of Alticor, has said that he may not make a decision on whether to...

Amway's DeVos in no hurry to decide on '06 race Sunday, February 06, 2005 By Steven Harmon \ The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Dick DeVos will take the next "few" months to decide whether he should run for governor. At the state Republican Party convention Saturday at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, the former Alticor president spoke publicly for the first time about a rumor that's swirled around GOP circles for weeks. "I'm looking at this as an opportunity to serve the state I love," he said. "It deserves serious consideration. But it's a decision that should not...

DeVos creates buzz as GOP meets here Saturday, February 05, 2005 By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Dick DeVos has sought advice from top Republicans on whether he should run for governor and has heard a consistent theme: Gov. Jennifer Granholm is vulnerable, and he would be the right man to take her on. The former president of Alticor has kept his intentions closely guarded since his name began popping up last month as a possible challenger in 2006. But DeVos' close political associates say he is seriously considering a race. "It depends on how he...