Let’s Debate—and Let Voters Decide
When I announced my campaign for Governor, I made clear that Michigan is in desperate need of bold, unapologetic leadership. That leadership starts with showing up, taking questions, and making your case directly to the voters.
Showing up and taking questions was exactly what President Trump did in the Republican Presidential Primary debates during the 2016 primary season. As you may recall, the first of the 12 debates was on August 6, 2015 – fifteen months before the 2016 Presidential Election. It is indisputable that these debates not only identified President Trump as the best candidate for our Party but also made him a stronger and sharper candidate against Hillary Clinton! In same way, the series of GOP state party chair debates between December of 2024 and February of 2025 clearly helped our grassroots make informed votes for Party Chair – and made all three contenders stronger candidates.
That’s why today, I’m writing to request the Michigan Republican Party and local party leaders host no less than 10 gubernatorial debates throughout Michigan beginning at the Mackinac Policy Conference in September. The balance of the debates would then occur across various districts as coordinated by State Party.
My proposal is simple: Let the State Party leadership coordinate at least 10 gubernatorial debates that include:
Debates hosted by district chairs, county chairs, grassroots leaders, and affiliated GOP clubs
Marquee debates—at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, at an upcoming meeting of the Michigan Republican State Committee, and at other major party functions.
This proposal ensures that every region and every Republican voter has a front-row seat to this primary.
And, this approach mirrors the successful 2016 Republican presidential debates, which helped our party sharpen its ideas, increase exposure of our candidates, and identify our nominee, President Donald Trump. Importantly, Donald Trump didn’t win because party leaders cleared the field or because donors bought the nomination—rather, he competed, showed up, and made his case. We should demand no less in Michigan.
With our late primary in August 2026, we can’t afford to wait until next summer to get serious. Starting now gives our party time to learn, test, and unify—so that when the dust settles, we’re ready to take the fight directly to our socialist, backward-looking opponents – whether Mike Duggan or the Democrat nominee. Let’s get the debates started on Mackinac Island and begin our fight to take back Michigan.
Sincerely,
Mike Cox
Republican Candidate for Governor of Michigan