TROY, Mich. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon used the 2020 kidnapping plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to attack the Democratic incumbent during speeches on Friday, remarks that quickly drew a backlash.
Dixon's first reference to the kidnapping plot came as she was targeting Whitmer's handling of schools and businesses, arguing that some large companies have shifted jobs to other states that might have come or stayed in Michigan.
"The sad thing is that Gretchen will tie your hands, put a gun to your head and ask if you're ready to talk," Dixon said during a speech in Troy. "For someone so worried about being kidnapped, Gretchen Whitmer sure is good at taking business hostage and holding it for ransom."
With a sign on the lectern that said, "forging a family-friendly Michigan," Dixon, a political commentator and businesswoman from Norton Shores, was speaking at an event in Troy organized by the super political action committee Michigan Families United, which has been supporting her campaign.
Her comment drew applause from the crowd of about 300 people gathered at the American Polish Cultural Center.
In October 2020, federal agents announced they had thwarted a plot involving more than a dozen men who conspired to kidnap and harm Whitmer. The revelations drew national attention.
Last month, a federal jury convicted two men, Adam Fox and Barry Croft, accused of orchestrating the plan. Two others, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, previously pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping conspiracy charges.
“The verdict confirms that the plot was very serious, very dangerous,” and posed a threat to the governor, Grand Rapids Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge told reporters afterward.
In April, a Grand Rapids federal jury acquitted Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta on kidnapping conspiracy charges.
Dixon referenced the kidnapping plot as she argued that Michigan's greatest companies have been shifting their futures to other states.
"Innovation is the solution, not more government regulation," said Dixon, who has called for reducing 40% of Michigan’s regulatory code in four years.
Soon after talking about government regulation, Dixon said Whitmer is not a businesswoman but a "politician with a law degree." Then, Dixon referenced Whitmer's concerns about being kidnapped.
Whitmer's campaign blasted Dixon's comment.
"Threats of violence are no laughing matter, and the fact that Tudor Dixon thinks it’s a joke shows that she is absolutely unfit to lead Michigan," said Maeve Coyle, spokeswoman for Whitmer's reelection effort.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted that Dixon's remark was "repugnant."
Whitmer "is the victim of a very serious plot to kidnap and assassinate her," said Nessel, a Democrat whose office is also trying other suspects on state charges connected to the kidnapping plot.
"Anyone who would make light of such an effort is not fit to hold public office at any level," Nessel added.
Dixon's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment. But in reply to Nessel's tweet, Dixon posted, "From the woman who wants a drag queen in every classroom," referring to a joke the attorney general made at an event in June.
Later on Friday, Dixon referenced the kidnapping plot in comments during an event in Muskegon.
"If you were afraid of that, you should know what it is to have your life ripped away from you," Dixon told the crowd in Muskegon.
State Sen. Curtis Hertel, an East Lansing Democrat and Whitmer ally in the state Legislature, said normal people would view Dixon's kidnapping remark as "completely outrageous." Hertel said he believes Dixon was executing a strategy to try to get attention.
“You can’t have this many days of this random insanity without having a reason behind it," Hertel said.
Kellyanne Conway, a White House adviser to former President Donald Trump, also spoke at Friday's event in Troy. Conway's speech occurred before Dixon's. Conway criticized polling that has shown Whitmer ahead of Dixon by double digits. The surveys are trying to suppress turnout, Conway alleged.
"By predicting who will and who won't win or who can and cannot win so far ahead of an election, you are robbing people of their voice and their choice," Conway said.
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(Detroit News staff writers Robert Snell and Sarah Rahal contributed.)
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