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Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (Facebook photo)
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley has made little secret of the fact he's been interested in taking over Gov. Rick Snyder's job.
On Tuesday, he officially announced his bid for governor. After two terms, Snyder cannot run again.
"I am proud to have been an integral part of Michigan’s extraordinary rise from the recession that plagued our state during the ‘Lost Decade.,'" Calley writes on Facebook. "We set out to make Michigan the comeback state and that’s exactly what we did. I am running for Governor to build on this strong foundation and make Michigan the most prosperous state in the nation."
Calley joins the Republican race with Attorney General Bill Schuette, Saginaw Township physician Dr. Jim Hines, and state Sen. Patrick Colbeck of Canton.
While running on the state's economic strength, Calley could be harmed by the ongoing state investigation run by Schuette into the Flint water crisis.
The probe has severely damaged Snyder's political standing and any future plans he might of had.
The question is: How damaging will that probe be to Calley, who has been part of Snyder administration?
Another factor could be Donald Trump. Schuette endorsed Trump for president and continues to support him.
Will that be a positive or negative in the race?
In Oct. 2016, Calley renounced his support of Trump for president after the infamous 2005 audio recording with Billy Bush surfaced.
“The latest revelations about Donald Trump and his past make it impossible for me to maintain support of him,” Calley said in a statement to The Detroit News at the time. “This is not a decision I take lightly because I still believe that a Hillary Clinton presidency represents a disastrous alternative.”
