2018 Michigan Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Bill Schuette: Enforce prohibitions on abortion; de-fund Planned Parenthood.     Gretchen Whitmer: End 24-hour waiting period; fund Planned Parenthood.     Bill Schuette: Supports the rights of the unborn.     Gretchen Whitmer: Will stop anti-choice legislation.     Gretchen Whitmer: No insurance riders to get an abortion covered.

Budget & Economy     Bill Schuette: Make better jobs cutting taxes, regulations and wastefulness.     Gretchen Whitmer: Most important metric is rising family income.

Civil Rights     Bill Schuette: Gay marriage ban was simply recognition that biology matters.     Gretchen Whitmer: 2013: repeal Michigan's same-sex marriage ban.     Bill Schuette: Include LGBT gender identity in laws against discrimination.     Abdul El-Sayed: Sensitive to women's rights and transgender people's rights.

Corporations     Gretchen Whitmer: Shift tax burden to corporations.

Crime     Bill Schuette: Prosecute 17-year-olds as adults.     Gretchen Whitmer: Prioritize rehabilitation efforts for first-time offenders.     Bill Schuette: History of getting justice for rape victims.     Abdul El-Sayed: Move from prison to productive citizenship.     Gretchen Whitmer: Cleaned up County Prosecutor office after a sex scandal.

Drugs     Bill Schuette: Led campaign against medical marijuana in 2008.     Gretchen Whitmer: Supports marijuana legalization for adult recreational use.     Bill Schuette: The opioid epidemic cannot be solved with just arresting.     Abdul El-Sayed: End marijuana prohibition; tax it and regulate it.

Education     Bill Schuette: Grade schools A-F, with performance-based grants.     Bill Schuette: Support more trade & vocational offerings.     Gretchen Whitmer: Opposes vouchers: Stop the dismantling of public education.     Gretchen Whitmer: 2 years of debt-free post-secondary education.     Bill Schuette: Give parents more choices for their kids' education.     Bill Schuette: Advocate of partnerships between schools and companies.

Energy & Oil     Gretchen Whitmer: Oppose withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord.     Bill Schuette: Joins lawsuit challenging Obama's Clean Power Plan.     Abdul El-Sayed: Electric user fee raises $3.3B for clean energy in 15 years.

Environment     Bill Schuette: Opposes burdensome EPA regulations.     Bill Schuette: Charged 15 city and state officials for Flint water crisis.     Bill Schuette: Opposing EPA regulations earns him polluter protector label.     Abdul El-Sayed: Advocate for environmental justice on lead exposure.     Bill Schuette: Sue firms that caused Flint drinking water crisis.

Families & Children     Abdul El-Sayed: Invest in Detroit to keep millennials in Michigan.

Free Trade     Bill Schuette: Supports tariffs on China, to get a better deal.     Gretchen Whitmer: Renegotiate trade deals, but no tariffs on China.

Government Reform     Bill Schuette: Opposes ballot initative 2 (gerrymandered districts ok).     Bill Schuette: Oppose disclosure for who paid for political ads.     Gretchen Whitmer: Opposes gerrymandering; opposes voter ID.     Gretchen Whitmer: Disclose political donors; reverse Citizens United.     Bill Schuette: Terminate government pensions for those caught embezzling.     Bill Schuette: Wants tax returns released from all top elected officials.     Abdul El-Sayed: Fundamental right to be heard at the ballot box.

Gun Control     Bill Schuette: Repeal restrictions on guns, including semi-automatics.     Gretchen Whitmer: Universal background checks; ban assault-style weapons.     Bill Schuette: Proud protector of the 2nd Amendment, NRA rates him "A".     Abdul El-Sayed: No gun possession for convicted domestic abusers.     Abdul El-Sayed: Take on the corporate gun lobby; enough is enough.

Health Care     Bill Schuette: Replace ObamaCare with private insurance.     Gretchen Whitmer: No work requirements for Medicaid; expand it instead.     Bill Schuette: End Medicaid expansion and put in work requirement.     Abdul El-Sayed: Public health suffers when you run government as a business.

Homeland Security     Bill Schuette: Provided two new legal resources for all members of military.

Immigration     Bill Schuette: Joined 2016 lawsuit to block DACA expansion.     Gretchen Whitmer: Protect DREAMers from deportation; offer path to citizenship.     Abdul El-Sayed: Biracial families like mine inspire more diverse government.     Abdul El-Sayed: People who look like me are not sitting on the sidelines.     Bill Schuette: It isn't a ban on Muslims; Trump puts security first.

Jobs     Bill Schuette: Supports right-to-work law as a great victory.     Bill Schuette: Opposes prevailing wage law.     Gretchen Whitmer: Repeal "right-ro-work" law (support union organizing).     Gretchen Whitmer: Increase minimum wage to $15/hour over three years.

Principles & Values     Bill Schuette: Served 3 terms in Congress & then as state Attorney General.

Tax Reform     Bill Schuette: Cut taxes and make Michigan a growth state.     Gretchen Whitmer: Trump tax cuts help only millionaires & billionaires.     Bill Schuette: Signed pledge to oppose any tax increase.     Abdul El-Sayed: Limit tax foreclosures for over-assessed Detroit properties.

Technology     Gretchen Whitmer: Expand broadband with net neutrality.     Abdul El-Sayed: We need $4B per year for Pure Michigan Infrastructure Bank.     Bill Schuette: Invest in infrastructure but vows to lower taxes.     Gretchen Whitmer: We need $3B per year for inadequate infrastructure.

Welfare & Poverty     Bill Schuette: Welfare must balance hand up aid with helping able find work.     Abdul El-Sayed: Economic well-being means helping those less privileged.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Abdul El-Sayed Michigan Democratic candidate for Governor Bill Schuette Michigan Republican candidate for governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer Michigan Democratic candidate for Governor