Dangerous Tudor Dixon continues to rely on special interests to sell her wrong-for-Michigan agenda. Americans for Prosperity is just the latest national special interest to prop her up and broadcast her backwards vision that would harm working families.
To date, outside groups and opponents have already spent more than $16 million to push bogus attacks against Governor Whitmer this cycle. Here are the facts:
Koch-Founded Americans for Prosperity is the Latest Extreme Special Interest PAC to Throw Hundreds of Thousands Behind DeVos Sellout Tudor Dixon
Founded by the Kochs, Americans for Prosperity is an “astroturf political group” noted for “incubating” the Tea Party and taking “extraordinary” lengths to install all three of the previous administration’s U.S. Supreme Court picks on the bench – a move that proved fatal for nationwide reproductive freedom.
In Michigan, AFP’s track record is just as devastating. Providing bribes and facilitating protests, the group played an integral role in swaying state legislators to back Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2012 Right to Work law. It yielded massive anti-union impacts that are still being felt by working families today not only in-state but across the country as it “pave[d] the way for right to work” copycat legislation to crop up in other states.
Spurred to pursue their extreme agenda by any means necessary, AFP engaged in the “emotional terrorism” tactic of posting fake eviction notices on Detroiters’ doors to oppose the construction of a bridge – all while “refusing to disclose which of its corporate backers” were behind the callous stunt pulled during the height of a foreclosure crisis.
With this five-figure ad buy, the Koch-backed group is joining the DeVos family’s effort to bankroll Tudor Dixon’s campaign at any rate necessary. To date, the DeVos family has already “contributed more than $4 million to outside groups,” $1 million of which went to Michigan Families United, a PAC “shrouded in secrecy” that runs the majority of the airwave interference propping up Dixon’s campaign.
But the Kochs and DeVoses aren’t alone. After they publicly lined up behind her, PACs supporting Dixon funded by other “deep-pocketed donors” were able to spend “a combined $2.18 million” in her favor to drag her through the bitter primary. This outpaces Dixon’s own advertising spending 20 times over and even surpasses what she raised for her campaign in total.
So far this cycle, one PAC put five figures on the radio, another threw in $100,000, a different one “reserved $103,000 worth of airtime,” another announced a $1 million ad campaign, and Susan B. Anthony List announced they would be parachuting in six figures.
Governor Whitmer is Cutting Costs for Working Families, Improving Education, and Boosting Michigan’s Economy, All Without Raising Taxes
Governor Whitmer has consistently worked across the aisle to pass three balanced budgets and deliver cost-saving wins for Michigan working families without raising taxes. To put money back in the pockets of Michigan families, Governor Whitmer worked across the aisle to ink an “historic” bipartisan deal that has already begun sending $400 refund checks for every auto-insured vehicle in the state – a huge cost-saving reform that even top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said “couldn’t have gotten done without her.”
And in February, she signed “a trio of bipartisan bills aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” adding to her proposal made in the beginning of the year to cap the monthly cost of insulin at $50 so Michiganders don’t have to choose between their health and keeping food on the table.
With Michigan seniors in mind, Governor Whitmer called on the legislature to fully repeal the pension tax which would save half a million households an average of $1,000 annually. Separately, Whitmer has also proposed more than tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 20%.
In December 2021, Governor Whitmer signed legislation allowing small business owners to pay income taxes at the business rather than individual level – a massive reform that will equal an estimated $200 million in annual tax savings for hundreds of thousands of eligible businesses. In another move to keep building gains for Michigan’s robust economic recovery, she also signed an economic package that included a $75 million tax cut for small businesses.
Governor Whitmer Has Made Historic Investments in Public Education, Closing Funding Gaps Between School Districts Across Michigan
As part of the bipartisan budget, Governor Whitmer recently signed a record $19.6 million investment in Michigan’s K-12 schools that created the highest per-pupil state funding in Michigan history – $9,150 for every kid, in every district. She negotiated resources to recruit more teachers, increase mental health care, improve school facilities, boost “career and technical education programs by 27 percent,” and expand before and after-school programming as well as free tutoring. She secured hundreds of millions of dollars to help schools build new classrooms, labs, and libraries and more on top of that to support every single school with safety initiatives.
These massive investments built on the bipartisan $17.1 billion dollar public education budget that completely closed a decades-long state funding gap between school districts, and made the “largest investment in PreK-12 schools in state history” — all without raising taxes.
Governor Whitmer’s unmatched investment boosted overall funding for schools by 10 percent and increased per-pupil funding by nearly $600 for 80 percent of districts, while the districts that already received the most funding saw a $171 per-student increase.
Earning the praise of Republican and Democratic legislators, Whitmer closed the school funding gap, “a goal the legislature has been working toward since 1994,” and is helping districts reduce class sizes and give students individualized attention.
To prevent devastating funding cuts to public schools, Whitmer vetoed a scheme to dismantle public education with devastating funding cuts that could have siphoned upwards of $500 million annually from public education.
Dixon Sold Out to Do Betsy DeVos’ Bidding and Pledged to Rewrite Michigan’s Constitution So She Can Shortchange Our Kids
Tudor Dixon has pledged to decimate public education funding by any means necessary. It’s no wonder the DeVos family committed to bankrolling her campaign.
Last year, she voiced her support for “the latest effort by legislative Republicans to create a school voucher system in Michigan” and vowed to sign the attempt to privatize education and steal $500 million annually from public schools into law as governor.
Dixon also announced that repealing Michigan’s constitutional ban on using public money for private education was a top priority for her campaign. Dixon said she “absolutely” backed a tax plan that would slash $3.5 billion from public schools.
Dixon Cheered on the Ambassador Bridge Blockade, Panned GM’s 4,000 Job-Creating, $7 Billion Dollar Investment in Michigan
Tudor Dixon’s disdain for the auto industry has been evident to working families since she launched her bid for governor.
As “major international gateway” Ambassador Bridge was shut down due to an illegal blockade that impacted $356 million of goods daily, Dixon threw her support behind this major economic chokehold on Michigan and encouraged it to continue.
The auto industry suffered “$299.9 million in direct losses,” and assembly plants at GM and Ford were forced to cancel shifts due to a lack of parts traveling across the bridge, which resulted in workers weathering up to $51 million in lost wages.
Additionally, Dixon was dismissive of GM’s $7 billion dollar investment in “making Michigan the ‘hub’ of electric vehicle development and manufacturing.” Dixon supporter and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey even praised the deal as a “historic” job-creator, as GM is expected to bring 4,000 new good-paying positions to Michigan.
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