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The debate that could determine the fate of the Michigan governor’s mansion began with twin appeals to bipartisanship in a deeply divided state.
Roughly three minutes in, those overtures were ancient history.
Over the course of the one-hour debate between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and Republican opponent Tudor Dixon, both candidates began and ended nearly every response—on gun control, on schooling, on abortion, on election integrity, on policing—by painting their opponent as too extreme to lead the state.