For GOP, Michigan gov. race getting crowded

Republicans eyeing Michigan’s governor’s mansion are touting their prescriptions for the state’s ailing economy even though it’s two years until any ballot will be cast.

While Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) doesn’t step down for another two years, there is no shortage of candidates offering their solutions for the state’s economic problems.

{mosads}Attorney General Mike Cox (R), a vocal critic of Granholm, was first out of the gate in filing an exploratory committee this year, just days after the 2008 elections. A former prosecutor, Cox won reelection in 2006 by a 54 percent-to-43 margin, even as Granholm cruised to an easy reelection over Republican businessman Dick DeVos.

Despite Cox’s statewide name recognition, he won’t have the field to himself.

News reports this week suggest Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R) is preparing to announce he will not run for reelection but will set his sights on the chief executive job.

Hoekstra’s office says no announcement is imminent, but Michigan insiders expect him to take the plunge.

“He’s looking at it very seriously,” said Dave Waymire, a Lansing-based political expert with Martin Waymire Advocacy Communications.

Others said to be considering a GOP bid include Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Rep. Candice Miller, though both are seen as long shots at best.

The wild card could come from a prominent Republican donor and former University of Michigan regent who might be able to self-fund his race.

David Brandon, a Michigan native who chairs and serves as chief executive officer of Domino’s Pizza, is reportedly contemplating his own bid and has appeared at some Republican events.

“He’s kind of like a Dick DeVos without quite as much baggage,” Waymire said.

The eventual winner of the GOP primary will not face what many saw as Democrats’ best possible candidate.

Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer took himself out of the running last week. Instead, Lt. Gov. John Cherry is seen as the likely front-runner, though Flint Mayor Don Williamson and Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel have also expressed interest.

Whoever the eventual nominees are, they may find themselves faced with an even worse economic climate than exists now. While only Hoekstra will play a role in any federal auto bailout — he favors a bailout, with conditions — the fate of Michigan’s economy rests in large part on whether Ford, General Motors and Chrysler can survive. Any headache for the Big Three will translate into a major pain for the next governor.