Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder doesn’t want to talk about which presidential candidate will get his vote next month, though his past support for President Joe Biden says a lot.
The 48th governor of Michigan cited “strong feelings” about former President Donald Trump potentially tainting efforts to shift control of the Michigan House of Representatives for staying out of the presidential contest at a campaign event in Battle Creek on Monday.
“There are strong feelings, even among Republicans, on the whole issue of former President Donald Trump,” Snyder told The Detroit News. “The way I view it is, is I want to be viewed as a spokesperson for helping Michigan, for winning the Michigan House back. There’s no reason I should get involved in the presidential race.”
Snyder backed Biden in 2020 as one of the founding members of Republicans and Independents for Biden, penning a column for USA Today that outlined his opposition to a second term for Trump.
“I will continue to support and stand up for Republican policies and values, and support Republican candidates, but I will not support Donald Trump for reelection,” Snyder wrote in September 2020. “While I am endorsing Joe Biden for president, I am still a Republican who also will be publicly supporting Republican candidates at the local, state and federal level.”
It was a similar situation in 2016, when Snyder told the Detroit Free Press the political brawl between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Trump was a “huge mess” and criticized the latter’s “revolting and disgusting” comments as a drag on Michigan Republicans.
“I think there was a lack of positive dialogue at the presidential level but that’s one reasons I sort of stayed out of it,” he said in 2016. “My view of relentless positive action is the right approach to the public sector.”
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The two-term governor, who left office in 2018, returned to the campaign trail on Monday for a Mission For Michigan tour that stops in Jackson, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Riverview, Flat Rock, Milan, Utica, Troy, Rochester, and Traverse City this week, WLNS reports.
At an event supporting state House Republican candidate Steve Frisbie on Monday, Snyder said Michigan has “slid backwards” since Democrats in 2022 gained full control over the Michigan Legislature for the first time in 40 years, pointing to an annual budget that has grown from $56.8 billion when he left office to a record $83 billion for 2025.
“I love Michigan,” Snyder said. “So part of this for me, is this is my home, this is our backyard. Before worrying about solving all the national issues, let’s prove we can do better in Michigan and it starts by winning the majority back in the House with great candidates.”
While Snyder declined to discuss the presidential race, Frisbie pointed to Trump’s victories in the Battle Creek-based district in both of the last two presidential election cycles, a reality that will undoubtedly help his campaign.
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“I believe he’s on track to win it again,” Frisbie said.
Mission for Michigan, “House Republicans’ Commitment for a Brighter Future,” involves a 10-point plan that focuses on reversing Democrats’ income tax hike, while reducing energy, housing and child care costs.
The plan also aims to “empower parents in their kids’ education,” boost government transparency, eliminate sanctuary cities and counties, return energy decision to the local level, focus more on education in skilled trades, “prioritize Michigan companies, not foreign adversaries,” and increase support for law enforcement and veterans.
Those priorities, according to the Michigan Democratic Party, amount to aiding and abetting “MAGA extremists,” spokesman Tommy Kubitschek told The News.
“While Rick Snyder and MAGA Matt Hall campaign on their backward agenda that will turn the clock back on our freedoms in Michigan, Democrats are ensuring that all Michiganders can not just survive, but thrive, for years to come,” Kubitschek said, referring to the current House minority leader.