Michigan Dem Gov Candidate Gretchen Whitmer Facing Expensive Primary As Millionaire Challenger Seeks To “Disrupt” Her “Coronation”

Despite being considered the “presumed frontrunner” of Michigan’s Democrat gubernatorial primary race, Gretchen Whitmer is struggling to unify her party. With nearly a year until Election Day, Whitmer finds herself fighting off a challenge from a multimillionaire opponent who claims his “goal is simply to disrupt the Democratic primary process” and prevent a “coronation” for the Democrat frontrunner. The Detroit News reports that Democrat rival Shri Thanedar is pumping nearly $6 million of his own money into his bid to challenge Whitmer, forcing her to raise big and spend big just to win her own party’s nomination. With Democrats facing a costly primary in what will be one of the nation’s most competitive and expensive gubernatorial races of 2018, their Party finds itself facing growing challenges to succeed in a state that has trended red in recent statewide elections.

The Detroit News reports:

“’My goal is simply to disrupt the Democratic primary process,’ Thanedar told The Detroit News, arguing a competitive race should be good for the party.

‘It’s looking like people in the establishment want to just do the coronation of (former state Senate Minority Leader Gretchen) Whitmer like we did in 2014 when Mark Schauer was the candidate.’

Whitmer, the presumed frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, is expected to file a report Wednesday showing she raised more than $765,000 for the quarter and $2.3 million overall, according to her campaign.”