Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon will meet for a second and final debate Tuesday night, two weeks out from Election Day.
Dixon and the incumbent Democrat clashed over abortion and the state’s pandemic response during their first debate earlier this month, and these issues will likely come up again during the second debate. Early voting has already begun, and nearly half a million ballots have been returned.
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The debate will be held at 7 p.m. at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Abortion has been a contentious election issue across the country after the Supreme Court returned abortion policy to the state level by overturning Roe v. Wade in June — particularly in Michigan as voters weigh Proposal 3. The ballot measure would enshrine abortion access as a right under the state constitution, and both candidates said during their Oct. 14 debate that they would accept the results of the vote in formulating policy. Dixon opposes abortion in all cases except to save the life of the mother, while Whitmer has not expressed support for any limitations.
Dixon has targeted the governor over her handling of the pandemic, which resulted in the shutdown of thousands of businesses. In response, Whitmer’s camp has portrayed Dixon as a conspiracy theorist who doesn’t accept that President Joe Biden was legitimately elected.
Though Whitmer has a fundraising advantage, Dixon has been creeping closer to her in the polls. The FiveThirtyEight polling aggregate has Dixon more than 5 points behind Whitmer, while a Trafalgar Group poll that ended Oct. 21 had the two just about tied.
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“You hear about the quiet Republican,” Dixon told the Washington Examiner. “But I’ve met them. Every time we stop at a gas station or a coffee shop, someone comes up and says, ‘I just wanted you to know that I’m voting for you.’ Very quietly, they’re whispering, but they’re showing their support, which I think is very neat.”
Leaders from both parties are stumping for the candidates as Election Day approaches, with former President Barack Obama coming to Detroit this weekend to campaign with Whitmer. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who heads the Republican Governors Association, recently visited Michigan to boost Dixon.
