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Dixon and Whitmer hold fiery 2nd debate trading blows over abortion, roads, school safety

By and David Komer online producer
Published  October 25, 2022 10:30pm EDT
2022 Midterm Elections
FOX 2 Detroit

Whitmer, Dixon trade blows during fiery second debate in race for governor

Before the debate even began from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, it was clear the divide is large between two people vying for your vote - with both candidates on the offensive.

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Tudor Dixon and Gretchen Whitmer faced off in their second debate and if there was any remaining question about where the two candidates for governor stood on issues like abortion, school safety, education and the roads -  they battled on stage to provide answers.

Before the debate even began from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, it was clear the divide is large between two people vying for your vote - with both candidates on the offensive.

It started with Proposal 3, the ballot initiative addressing abortion rights.

"The way to protect women and ensure that future generations will have the same rights we have had for 49 years is by adopting Proposal 3," Whitmer said. "And I will be a yes vote."

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"It is not codifying Roe in our constitution, but it would be the most radical abortion law in the entire country," Dixon said. "The only place that has something similar is  China," Dixon said.

And the two continued sparring over the issues with the economy.

"She says she will work with anyone on anything, and that she'd bipartisan, but she actually vetoed quite a bit of opportunity to put money back into the pockets of the people," Dixon said.

"What I would like to know is, how Mrs. Dixon plans to balance a budget giving $12 billion dollars away and not shifting costs onto you," Whitmer said.

The candidates laid out their education philosophies.

"Not only do we want to make sure that parents are involved in education, but we want to make sure that our kids are back on track from the pandemic," Dixon said.

"We got the biggest investment in public education done in a bipartisan way to support teachers, to bring down class sizes, to wrap our kids in supports like mental health support," Whitmer said,

And they both weighed in how to address violence in schools.

"I support secure storage, I support red flag laws, I support background checks," Whitmer said. "When Mrs. Dixon was asked do you support secure storage - which is what Oxford parents were asking for, she says 'I don't know what it is.'"

Analysis: Dixon and Whitmer go back and forth in final debate

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP challenger Tudor Dixon picked up where they left off in the last debate as they continued to disagree on a number of fronts.

"I would like to have armed security at our schools, I would like to make sure that we have a one entry point," Dixon said. "I would also like to implement some of that (Michigan State Police 2018) plan that talks about how to identify that child that struggles with mental health."

"We have been trying that for 30 years, it's not working," Whitmer said. "It is time to try proven policies."

"Yet she's been governor for four years and a career politician for 20 and she hasn't seemed to come up with an answer for this yet," Dixon said.

The two did find common ground when it came to vaccine mandates for Covid, they both said no. And when asked about what they admired in other, they both said whoever wins the election it will be a mom setting a good example for their daughters and women in general.