Republican Kevin Rinke says he plans to take another run at governor

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Former Republican candidate for governor Kevin Rinke out of Macomb County came close to announcing he will run for governor again in four years.  That is, until FOX 2's Tim Skubick was able to get his answer.

Skubick: "Do you still have the bug to be governor?"

"I don't like losing Tim," he said.

One week before the GOP primary election for governor Kevin Rinke was posed to win the party nomination. And then former President Donald Trump endorsed Tudor Dixon, and it was game over for Rinke.

But with the next race for governor four years away, Rinke sounds very much like a candidate who wants to avenge that loss last August.

"We've got a little bit of time to figure that out, and ultimately, the feedback that I get from the people of Michigan, is going to determine what path forward I take," he said.

Rinke says unlike Dixon, he has policies that appeal to independent voters, including rape and incest exceptations on abortion.

Rinke tells the Off the Record panel he has to build an organization, and convince those who didn't vote for him to change their minds.

The 50th governor of Michigan, current Democrat Gretchen Whitmer unable to run again.

Skubick: "Would you like to be governor?"

"I would have liked to be the 50th governor of the state of Michigan, and being 51st governor wouldn't be half bad either," Rinke said.

Skubick: "Why don't you say, 'Tim I'm really interested in running for governor.'"

"Tim, I'm really interested in running for governor," Rinke said..

That makes him the first Republican to say that with the next governor's election over 1,100 days away.