Michigan GOP governor nominee Dixon picks running mate

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Michigan Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon chose former state Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron as her running mate Friday in her bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Hernandez served two terms in the Michigan House ending in 2020, when he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House. He chaired the powerful budget-writing House Appropriations Committee for one term.

“Shane Hernandez as lieutenant governor will help to improve our schools, create safer communities and improve our economy,” Dixon said in a statement.

Hernandez said Dixon's “vision is the right one for Michigan and I believe we will defeat Whitmer and begin to repair the damage she’s caused to our families, students, and business owners.”

Dixon announced her choice one hour before a state GOP deadline. At the Aug. 27 state GOP convention, delegates will vote whether to approve her pick.

Whitmer’s lieutenant governor is Garlin Gilchrist II. The general election is Nov. 8.

John Sellek, a Republican political strategist, said the selection of Hernandez “appears to be a solid pick of someone both with a deep knowledge of the state budget and the GOP street cred of having come up from the grassroots of the party.”