Trailing by 13 points in the latest EPIC/MRA poll, Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus has gone on the offensive in his bid to become the state’s next governor.
In the campaign’s first political advertisement since his victory in the August primary election, Posthumus attacks Attorney General Jennifer Granholm’s stance on a proposal passed in 1994 that increased state sales taxes while reducing property taxes. The 30-second television spot is the first of several to come, said Posthumus’ campaign spokesman Sage Eastman. Granholm will face Posthumus in the Nov. 5 election.
“Proposal A has kept property taxes under control, but now Jennifer Granholm has repeatedly said she wants to ‘tweak’ Proposal A,” the ad says. “That breaks the promise of Proposal A and will increase property taxes.”
But Granholm’s campaign quickly fired back.
“Plain and simple - he’s wrong,” Granholm campaign spokesman Chris DeWitt said. “She does not support going back to the property tax system of old.”
Proposal A also shifted most of the responsibility for funding schools to a combination of sales and other state taxes rather than relying primarily on local property taxes.
“It’s bad that (Posthumus) has no issues that he can talk about positively on his own end but has to resort to attack Granholm,” DeWitt said.
Ads are expected “soon enough” from the Granholm campaign, DeWitt said.
Granholm’s “tweaking” of the proposal will force elderly citizens out of their residences and keep young couples from purchasing their first home, Eastman said.
“By cutting property taxes, we’re able to make those homes affordable, there’s higher funding for schools and businesses started coming back to Michigan,” he said. “Dick Posthumus will not tweak Proposal A.”
Eastman said his camp will continue to focus on tax policy in future ads.
MSU communications Professor Charles Atkin said he’s surprised Posthumus has come out swinging. Those swings, he says, could be a response to the early polling numbers that show Posthumus trailing.
“I think in the early campaign, it’s best to do the soft image commercials that focus on your leadership qualities just so people become acquainted or reacquainted,” he said. “Attacking the opponent early is much more likely to backfire than if you wait later on. But maybe he feels he has to do something dramatic early on.”
Atkin questioned whether Proposal A will strike a nerve with voters. He said it’s not as easy to explain as abortion or gun control because it’s more complex and elaborate.
He said Posthumus must quickly find issues that will attract swing voters and make sure supporters vote during an nonpresidential election year.
The poll, conducted by the Lansing-based polling firm last week, showed Posthumus narrowed the gap between himself and Granholm by six points from a similar poll in May when he trailed by 19 points.
“I think it’s just too big a gap to close,” Atkin said. “You usually get a boost about the time you’re nominated through the party convention, and he’s pretty well gotten that. From here on, it’s going be much tougher sledding to reduce the gap.”
