State of Michigan Archives: on Principles & Values

Alan Keyes: Anything the government gives you destroys your liberty

Bernie Sanders: I am very proud to be Jewish; it is much of what I am

SANDERS: No. I am very proud to be Jewish, and being Jewish is so much of what I am. Look, my father's family was wiped out by Hitler in the Holocaust. I know about what crazy and radical, and extremist politics mean. I learned that lesson as a tiny, tiny child when my mother would take me shopping, and we would see people working in stores who had numbers on their arms because they were in Hitler's concentration camp. I am very proud of being Jewish, and that is an essential part of who I am as a human being.

Bill Schuette: Served 3 terms in Congress & then as state Attorney General

Bret McAtee: Running as US Taxpayers Party, also Constitution Party

Some ask me why a minister would want to enter into this senatorial race. The answer is that I desire to bear testimony to future generations, render respect to past generations, and to provide challenge to our present generation.

Bret McAtee: Awaken benumbed people from their moral torpor

I run for US Senate, in part, to communicate to my children and our children and generations yet unborn that there are never odds so long, nor challenges so large, nor wrongs so firmly established that excuse us from being faithful to the God of our Fathers.

Debbie Stabenow: A clear choice against failed Bush policies

Debbie Stabenow: End the ongoing debate over debates: No Senate debates

Stabenow had accepted debate invitations at the Detroit Economic Club and Grand Valley State University, which have held U.S. Senate debates in recent Michigan election cycles. Hoekstra said he wanted debates with more exposure. Neither campaign had accepted the same debate offer, leaving the two campaigns without agreement as the Nov. 6 election approaches. Each campaign has blamed the other for the impasse.

Earlier this week, the Stabenow campaign had said Hoekstra was playing games with the debate issue and that his "antics certainly don't reflect that of someone who actually wants to hold debates."

Garrett Soldano: Our rights come from God, not from the government

"Guided by our shared conservative values and faith in our Creator, I will return integrity and honesty to the Governor's office. I will lead on election integrity and restore faith in our election process. I will work FOR the people, and be a leader, not a ruler.

"I understand that our rights come from God, not from the government, and will restore the liberties that Gretchen Whitmer took from us. No more mandates. No more restrictions.

Garrett Soldano: Father instilled a fierce love for country and sense of duty

Gretchen Whitmer: Michiganders expect results; impatience is a virtue

Gretchen Whitmer: A better Michigan is worth fighting for, we can't wait

Hillary Clinton: I am a praying person & I pray for God's will to be known

CLINTON: I pray for people whom I know by name. People who either have gone through or are experiencing difficult times, illness, divorce, death, all of the life experiences that confront most of us. I pray for the will of God to be known that we can know it and to the best of our limited ability, try to follow it and fulfill it. I have said many times that I am a praying person, and if I haven't been during the time I was in the White House, I would have become one. Because it's very hard to imagine living under that kind of pressure without being able to fall back on prayer and on my faith. So I do pray for people in authority. I try to think about what they are going through, even when I disagree with them. Trying to find some common ground, some common understanding that perhaps can make me more empathetic. I don't always succeed.

Jack Bergman: I believe the Bible is the true word of God

Bergman: I believe the Bible is the true word of God and that Jesus Christ died to save the world from our sins. I believe that we are all unique children of God full of potential.

Q: What in the nature of mankind caused America's Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?

Bergman: The natural tendency of those in control of the government is to consolidate their power against the will of the people. The Founders understood that tendency, and thus they created a separation of powers, both balancing authority within the branches of the federal government and balancing authority between the states and Washington. Our form of government has protected our free society and made us an exceptional nation in the world.

Jack Bergman: Commitment to being the best made most exceptional nation

Bergman: Very Conservative

Q: Please defend your answer by referencing your publicly available track record.

Bergman: Hard work and commitment to being the best made the United States the most exceptional nation in the world. Those are the principles that have guided my life. Americans know how to live their lives better than Washington does. I have dedicated my entire career too supporting and defending the Constitution.

James Craig: Claimed that protestors against him were paid to be there

James Craig: This is about leading from the front & keeping people safe

James Craig: Rejects objections to police graduations held in church

James Craig: Michigan is the embodiment of the American dream

James Craig: Won't back down to liberal wokeism & woke corporations

Jennifer Granholm: There are political solutions to moral problems

Jennifer Granholm: Embrace diversity: that is American exceptionalism

John Engler: The "Next Michigan": attitude for the future

Everyone is seeking "the new, new thing." The quest is on. The New Economy is transforming the old, and a new Michigan is emerging - the Next Michigan. The Next Michigan is more than a place. It's an attitude - smart and civil, confident yet compassionate, mindful of tradition yet constantly changing. The agenda I outline tonight remains true to our principles, builds on our successes and is full of changes vital for the transformation to the Next Michigan.
• The Next Michigan educates her children for the challenges ahead.
• The Next Michigan protects her unique natural treasures.
• The Next Michigan reforms and limits government.
• The Next Michigan harnesses technology to serve people and solve problems.
• The Next Michigan changes the world with new products and new ideas.

John James: Fight for the Constitution's principles, as written

John James: From slave to senate candidate in four generations

John James: Liberal violence is construed as speech

Marcia Squier: Government should be separate from private religion

A: Oppose in the sense that while people have the right to their own religion, or lack thereof, the government should be separate from private religion, and governmental agents/agencies should not promote or vilify any particular religion.

Marcia Squier: Separating church & state is only disestablishmentarianism

A: Disestablishmentarianism. To me it means, not basing legislation on religious scripts, and politicians, judges, etc. leaving their own religious mandates at the door when performing public duties.

Mike Bishop: Uphold the principles of faith, family and freedom

Bishop: Strongly Disagree

Q: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government?

Q: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values?

Bishop: My spiritual beliefs are driven by my Protestant faith. I am a social conservative who believes and upholds the principles of faith, family and freedom.

Mike Bouchard: 8-point plan: Renewing Michigan's Economy

Eight-Point Plan To Get Results And Create Jobs
1. Help Small Businesses Create More Jobs by Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Red Tape
2. Fiscal Accountability to Curb Wasteful Spending and Improve the Economy
3. More Money for Michigan's Families, Less for Washington's Big Spenders
4. Restore Michigan's Manufacturing Strength by Helping Reduce High Energy Costs
5. Reform a Broken Legal System which Bankrupts Businesses
6. Make Health Care More Affordable, Accessible, and Patient- Centered
7. Keep America's Manufacturers Competitive on the 21st Century Playing Field
8. Retirement Security For Current and Future Generations

Peter Hoekstra: Accused of anti-Chinese racism in Super Bowl TV ad

Actress Lisa Chan, who portrayed the young Asian woman in the ad, apologized via Facebook last week for her role. Hoekstra did not address Clark's accusations or his television ad, which has since been replaced. Pete Hoekstra's Super Bowl advertisement featured a bike-riding Chinese woman thanking incumbent Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow (called Spend-it-now in the promo) in broken English for helping support deficit spending that is aiding the Chinese economy. The ad received national criticism from both sides of the aisle.

Peter Hoekstra: I will either debate her or an empty chair; it's her choice

Stabenow had accepted debate invitations at the Detroit Economic Club and Grand Valley State University, which have held U.S. Senate debates in recent Michigan election cycles. Hoekstra said he wanted debates with more exposure.

Hoekstra responded with a comment issued through his campaign: "Michigan families should be appalled that Debbie Stabenow is attempting to cancel all debates." Hoekstra said "she clearly now feels that she can't defend her record."

Hoekstra plans to attend what his campaign called a health care debate in Lansing--but he likely will be the only candidate in attendance. Hoekstra said: "I will either debate her or an empty chair. It is her choice

Ron Paul: Only support GOP nominee if they end war & reduce spending

PAUL: Not right now I don't, not unless they're willing to end the war and bring our troops home, not unless they're willing to look at excessive spending.

MCCAIN: You don't want me then, pal.

PAUL: No, I'm not going to support them if they continue down the path which has taken our party down the tubes. I mean, we've lost credibility because of all our spending, because we have violated the civil liberties of all the American people, and we have adopted the Democrats' foreign policy. Why don't we run on George Bush's foreign policy of a humble foreign policy and no nation building and don't police the world? Then I'll support them.

Terri Lynn Land: AdWatch: Grew up in a trailer park, then managed motels

She grew up in a trailer park and motel owned by her grandparents. Terri Lynn Land worked her way up from cleaning rooms at the motel to managing it. Terri earned a college degree, married and ran the motel," the narrator says.

Democrats plan to make the back story of the trailer park an issue during the campaign. Buzzfeed recently reported that her grandparents sold the trailer park in the mid-1990s to a family business interest which later decided to close it and rezone the land for commercial use, forcing families who lived there to leave.

Tom Tancredo: Won't vote GOP if nominee is lesser of two evils

A: I am absolutely tired and sick and tired of being forced to go to the polls and say I'm going to make this choice between the lesser of two evils. I really don't intend to do that again. I am hoping, of course, that whoever we nominate will be the principal flag carrier for the Republican Party, but if that is not the case, no, then I will not.

Tudor Dixon: Calls for liberating Michiganders from lockdowns

Tudor Dixon: Pro God, pro life, pro gun and pro freedom

Tudor Dixon: Acted in low budget films as a hobby

Gretchen Whitmer: Hateful rhetoric makes people much more fearful

Tudor Dixon: Recommended stealing 2020 election then "calling for unity"

In a reply Dixon tweeted to Trump in November 2020, she falsely wrote, "Steal an election then hide behind calls for unity and leftists lap it up."

Dixon has sometimes taken a somewhat softer line, complaining about the election without calling it stolen. She said in July that there was enough fraud "that we have to be very concerned," adding, "I don't think we can see enough of the evidence because we weren't able to look back and some of that is destroyed now." (It isn't clear what she was talking about.) Dixon dodged when asked if she thought the election was stolen, saying instead, "Well, it's certainly a concern to a lot of folks here in Michigan because of the way the election was handled by our secretary of state."

Gretchen Whitmer: Our message is simple: we will fight for your freedom

Gretchen Whitmer: My fellow Michiganders, we live in a special place

Peter Meijer: Voted to impeach Trump & lost House seat to Trump challenger

Meijer lost his West Michigan seat last year to a Trump-backed challenger in 2022. He was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection in 2021. Meijer has said he has no regrets over his vote.

The former congressman's impeachment vote could help him attract support from moderate or independent voters in the state. And as the grandson of the man who started the Midwestern Meijer grocery dynasty, he has ample ability to self-fund and allies who could create a super PAC to aid him.

Elissa Slotkin: Third-generation Michigander; from family farm in Holly

I believe Michiganders want public servants whom they can respect even when they disagree, and I want to raise the bar for elected officials. I have two step-daughters, both in public service, and Dave and I live on that same family farm in Holly.

Gary Peters: Never saw service in Congress as a job for his whole life

Tudor Dixon: Deciding on Senate or Governor bid in 2026

Tudor Dixon: Committed to deliver on the America First agenda in Michigan

Tudor Dixon: Could run again for governor "if God says to do it"

Aric Nesbitt: Has championed President Trump's America First policies

Aric Nesbitt: Raised on faith, patriotism, traditional family values

Jocelyn Benson: First college student elected to Wellesley Town Meeting

Jocelyn Benson: Youngest woman to be dean of American law school

Jocelyn Benson: Thanked pastors for joining in calling to vote for democracy

Jocelyn Benson: I have a vision for making Michigan the best state

Joe Tate: I am an imperfect man of faith

John James: I believe that my God wants me to run

"I believe that my God wants me to run," James said.

But when asked if God want him in the U.S. Senate, Sandy said he doesn't know. James believes God wants him in a position to protect and preserve life. As for the outcome of the race:

"The result is up to him. The race is up to us," he said.

Mallory McMorrow: Politics should be about service, not self-interest

Mallory McMorrow: Reclaim faith from being used as a weapon to hate people

Mallory McMorrow: Democrats fight for the American dream

Mike Cox: We can Make Michigan Great Again