LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant, issued the following statement on Friday in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s long-overdue decision to finally schedule a special election for the vacant 35th Senate District:
“Let’s be clear: You’re no hero, governor. You didn’t save the day — you simply did a job you should have done months ago — and did so only after your lack of action received national headlines and criticism from within your own party.
“The average time it has taken the governor to call a special election in Michigan is 17 days. It has taken over seven months for Gov. Whitmer to call this election. In that time, thousands of residents across the Great Lakes Bay Region were left without a voice in the state Senate. There has been no urgency. No explanation. Just silence.
“That’s not leadership. That’s a political calculation.
“The people of this district have been taxed, regulated and impacted by every decision made in Lansing — and now, as we work to finalize the upcoming fiscal year budget, these residents will continue to be without a voice on how their tax dollars are spent.
“The governor knew how quickly she could act. She’s done it before — and faster — when it benefited her party. This time, when the benefit wasn’t as clear, she waited. Let’s not pretend that finally calling the election was about principle — it was about politics from the very beginning. Her attorneys even argued in court that she didn’t have to schedule an election after a lawsuit was filed compelling her to do her job.
“Her long-overdue action today doesn’t erase the months of neglect, the voices that went unheard, or the purely political display. I’m glad the people of the 35th District will finally get their seat back. But the delay speaks volumes.”
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