(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/02/2022) Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke praised his campaign team for turning in 21,000 petition signatures that have, for now at least, passed public scrutiny.
He said the same attention to detail his campaign showed in passing around petitions is what voters can expect out of his administration if election in November.
Speaking to MIRS Monday moments before launching on his 10-day, 55-county bus tour of the state Monday, Rinke said he's proud that the Democratic Party couldn't disqualify any of his signatures and it shows, "We played the game. We played it well."
The comments come as the Bureau of Elections begin combing over challenges to the signatures of fellow Republican candidates James Craig, Perry Johnson and Tudor Dixon (See related story). The Michigan Democratic Party's legal team flagged numerous issues with Craig and Johnson's signatures. For Dixon: it's an incorrect date, the type of clerical mistake that has cost campaigns in the past.
While nobody challenged Rinke's signatures by last Tuesday's challenge deadline, it's always possible the Secretary of State could flag some issue later in the process, but there are no signs at this point that they will do so.
"I don't understand how dead people end up on your signatures," Rinke said. "I don't understand how people are claiming they didn't sign petitions. I don't understand how (they) got the wrong date, wrong month or the wrong year.
"Attention to detail is what a businessman does and what we should expect from government," he added. "It's a reflection of what you would see in a Rinke administration. We do things well. We do things thoroughly. We do it right, all for the people of Michigan."
Politically, Rinke has the most to gain if Johnson, Craig and Dixon are all kicked off the ballot. Conceivably, he would emerge as the only self-funder who would have the resources to stay on the air during the primary and beyond.
Asked to respond to economist Mitch Bean's analysis that his plan to eliminate the personal income tax was a "piss poor public policy proposal." Rinke said such critique is "piss poor public policy proposal propaganda."
With the cost of government up 30%, Rinke said it's time for struggling Michigan families to see some relief.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is looking to push "kitchen table"-type programs with the state's budget surplus.
"What she doesn't realize is the fact the kitchen table it empty," he said. “The kitchen table is cold because they can't heat their home."
On possibly running with Trump-backed Kristina Karamo and Matt DePerno on the Republican ticket, Rinke said he looks forward to meeting with them and talking issues out.
Asked if he was concerned that the two got their political start out of claims over whether widespread election fraud cost Donald Trump the election, Rinke said a general election message will be different than what was used for the convention.
"I'm confident that the Republican Party is going to unite and I'm confident that I'm going to lead the party to victory over the Democrat," he said.
