During a recent campaign rally in Michigan, Trump-endorsed gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon made a broad swing in an effort to rail against incumbent Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by bashing her support of single women in the workforce.
"Families look all different ways," Dixon said during the rally, "They're the ones telling me that on a regular basis but apparently they're refusing to see one dynamic here. A lot of people wanna have families. This state, we don't have support from the governor for families, unless they look exactly the way she wants. And you know what that looks like these days? Looks like single moms — not single moms, single women — working. That's like her dream for women. Single women working. Last time I checked that was a pretty lonely life."
Michigan gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon (R) accuses Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) of favoring families headed by “single moms” over other families:
— The Recount (@therecount) October 14, 2022
“Single women working, that’s like her dream for women ... Last time I checked that was a pretty lonely life.” pic.twitter.com/CWAl8t5lFl
Whitmer has made a platform on speaking in favor of a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion rights, which conflicts in every way with Dixon's beliefs. In July, Dixon went on record saying that "a 14-year-old incest victim was the 'perfect example' of her justification for a nearly total ban on abortion access in the state of Michigan." While Whitmer fights for the protection of a woman's rights inside and outside of what those like Dixon frame as an "ideal" family unit.
"It is so disappointing to think of the politicians who want to take away a woman's freedom to decide what to do with her own body and life, but that's what we face," Whitmer tweeted earlier in October. "Decisions about abortion must be made between a woman, her doctor, and her trusted community – not politicians."
"Gretchen Whitmer vetoed funding for families that want to adopt a child and grants for safe housing for pregnant women," Dixon tweeted earlier this week.
"When the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, my opponent said that didn't go far enough," Whitmer said in a Tweet of her own. "She wants to make abortion a felony, no exceptions for rape, incest or health of the woman, and throw doctors and nurses in jail. That is too extreme and too dangerous."
Abortion issues aside, Whitmer has done a great deal to empower women. In 2021 she secured a grant to "help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace."
"Women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is crucial that we step up to empower women at the workplace," Governor Whitmer said in a press release. "I am grateful to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and the Biden Administration for their work in supporting women's economic recovery by increasing access to resources. This FARE grant will help our community organizations connect women to affordable childcare and provide them with the tools that they need to succeed."
