ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Friday, State Senator Aric Nesbitt visited the U.P. State Fair as part of his campaign to become the next governor of Michigan.
“It’s important to make sure that I cover every county in the state of Michigan, and so far this week we’ve hit 13 of the 15 counties here in the Upper Peninsula,” he told WZMQ 19. “A lot of these areas, especially our rural counties, a lot of times are overlooked. I grew up on a six-generation dairy and grape farm in Southwest Michigan. I think it’s important that we make sure the voices of our rural community are actually heard.”
Nesbitt, a Republican, says his priority is to put Michigan families, workers, and students first by securing good jobs, schools, healthcare, and roads. He believes much of that can be accomplished by “getting back to basics,” particularly when it comes to education.
“I’m going to have accountability in our schools to make sure every student is reading at or above a third-grade level,” said Nesbitt. “And getting back to the trades. Let’s be honest, at the high school level, I think too often they’re saying everybody needs to go back to college. No. Did you know that for every five people retiring from the trades, there’s only two people replacing them? I think we need to provide career opportunities for all our young people, whether they go into college or whether they go into the trades.”
If elected in 2026, Nesbitt says he would also work to ban sanctuary cities, implement an all-of-the-above energy plan, and build the Great Lakes Tunnel. He says he intends to be a spokesperson for rural communities.
“We need to shake up the DNR and the DEQ to make sure that our hunters and fishermen and our small business owners and our farmers actually have a voice down in Lansing,” Nesbitt said. “Michigan, especially here in the U.P., deserves so much better than what they’re getting right now.”
Several other candidates have entered the race to succeed Governor Gretchen Whitmer, including Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, both Democrats. Click on their names for more information on their platforms.
