Mark Schauer In Ann Arbor

On the eve of Tuesday's election, Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer rallied local Democrats in Ann Arbor, delivering his final pre-election speech before a large crowd on the University of Michigan campus. "We stand here at the doorstep of changing the direction of our state," Schauer said, addressing a mix of college students, local community members and elected officials gathered inside Annenberg Auditorium. Before the rally, Schauer visited downtown Ann Arbor businesses, including Old Town Tavern, Sweetwaters and Frita Batidos, chatting it up with patrons and employees. Read the story.

Final Words

Virg Bernero, Lansing's mayor and Michigan's Democratic nominee for governor, gave a pep talk at a Democratic Party campaign office in downtown Ypsilanti tonight on the eve of the election. Joined by attorney general candidate David Leyton, Supreme Court Justice Alton Thomas Davis and running mate Brenda Lawrence, Bernero said this is still an election about two different visions. "There are still those that believe if you take care of the people at the top — the folks that got the advantages — that eventually some of the good will trickle down," he said. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being trickled on." Read the story here.

The Great Debate

With three weeks to go before the Nov. 2 election, Virg Bernero and Rick Snyder participated in their first side-by-side interview tonight for the job of Michigan governor. Bernero, the Democratic mayor of Lansing, came out with guns blazing and attacked Snyder for outsourcing jobs at Gateway Computers, painting a picture of the Republican businessman from Ann Arbor as an out-of-touch millionaire who looks out for himself first. This was the scene before and after the debate (no photography was allowed during). Read my story here. My colleague Nathan Bomey from AnnArbor.com covered the business angle. Read his story here.

Wimpy And Nerdy

Michigan gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero addressed the College Democrats at the University of Michigan on Sunday. He said not only is his Republican opponent, Rick Snyder, a "nerd," but he's also a "wimp" for refusing to debate him in public. The last time Michigan’s two major party candidates for governor did not debate was in 1998, when Republican incumbent Gov. John Engler refused to appear with Democratic candidate Geoffrey Fieger. Fieger aired TV ads showing a chicken running around, and called Engler a "chicken" for ducking debates. Engler still won a third term in a landslide. So far, no Bernero supporters have been spotted in chicken suits. Read the story here.

Rick Snyder's New Running Mate

One day after announcing Brian Calley as his choice for lieutenant governor, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder introduced his new running mate at a town hall meeting at Washtenaw Community College on Thursday. Snyder, an Ann Arbor venture capitalist, called the two-term state representative from Portland a great addition to his campaign to reinvent Michigan. He characterized Calley, 33, as a hard-working lawmaker and a family man with proven integrity. Read the story here.

The Art Of Politics

The Ann Arbor Art Fairs turned into political stumping grounds today as two Michigan gubernatorial campaigns descended upon the art-filled streets of downtown Ann Arbor. At one end of East Liberty Street, Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican contender in the Aug. 3 primary, moved through the crowd of fairgoers, shaking hands and talking about his plan to cut taxes and reduce the size of state government. Further down Liberty Street, Kelly Bernero passed out campaign literature for her father, Democrat Virg Bernero, describing him to fairgoers as the fighter for working families that Michigan needs. Despite obvious political differences, Cox and Kelly Bernero share some common ground: They're both University of Michigan graduates, and they both love Ann Arbor.

Main Street Agenda

Virg Bernero said on Monday that state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township, is on his "short list" as choice for lieutenant governor of Michigan. Smith and Jeff Irwin, a Washtenaw County commissioner who is running for 53rd District state representative, endorsed Bernero's campaign during an event in Ann Arbor.

Speaker Of The House

State House Speaker Andy Dillon, one of two Democrats vying to become Michigan's next governor in the Aug. 3 primary, made a campaign stop in Ann Arbor on Friday. "I don't care if people are Republican or Democrat, if they're from the city or the suburb or rural, or labor or management, we're all in the same boat, and our boat's sinking," Dillon said. "So we've got to start working together, start reaching across the aisle and fight for results and fight for the future of the state rather than all this partisan bickering."