In Michigan, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate has not defeated a Republican incumbent since 1948. So even though the odds aren't exactly in Mark Schauer's favor, the former Congressman and Battle Creek native is not discouraged.
CNN Money recently ranked the Great Lake state in the bottom five in terms of economic strength and employment opportunities in the United States, so Schauer knows there is a lot of work to be done. The gubernatorial candidate was in Chicago recently for the Democratic Governors' Convention. Windy City Times caught up with him at the University Club to get an update on his campaign, his relationship with the LGBT community, and his goals for Michigan's future.
Windy City Times: What was the tipping point? Why did you decide to run for governor of Michigan?
Mark Schauer: Well, Rick Snyder's policies are hurting Michigan residents and hurting our economy. This is a governor who campaigned as a moderate and spent $6 million of his own money branding himself as "One Tough Nerd," but as soon as he took office, Snyder got tough on all the wrong people. He got tough on our kids by cutting $1 billion dollars for public education; he got tough on retirees by taxing their retirement income; he got tough on families ( who are raising our children ) by increasing their taxes, and he got tough on the working poor. The so-called "Nerd" who said he would focus on jobs and the economy didn't keep any of his promises.
To me, we are stronger when we value all of our people. Michigan has always been a progressive state and we value the diversity of our people. So, I decided to run for governor because Michigan is moving in the wrong direction. I have been very clear from the start that Michigan should become a marriage equality state and that we need to amend the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It's shameful to think that people lose their jobs or denied housing based on sexual orientation or transgender status.
WCT: Do you want to talk about some of your qualifications for the position? What traits and past experience do you possess that qualifies you to be governor?
Mark Schauer: First, I was raised with the right values. My father was a high school science teacher and my mother was a nurse. I saw the difference they made in Michigan. I began my career in public service first as an urban planner and then I ran a large, four-county anti-poverty agency called the Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan—based in Battle Creek, Michigan—which has been my home for most of my adult life. I served in local government as Battle Creek city commissioner, then in the state legislature for 12 years, then in Congress for two years.
One of my proudest moments, even after I lost my re-election in 2010, was to vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." I have always represented battleground districts. I have been a Democrat that has either beaten Republican incumbents ( I have done that twice ) or just won in really difficult Republican districts. My approach has been to represent everyone and bring people across the aisle to come to a consensus and solve problems.
The contrast is Michigan now has a governor who is a CEO and a venture captialist. Snyder was the CEO of Gateway computers and took all the manufacturing jobs to China and then took the company bankrupt, making millions of dollars in the process. He had no experience in government before being elected, and candidly, it shows.
I am qualified to lead Michigan because I have the right set of values. I believe public education is the key to building a strong economy and I have a plan to put Michigan back on track and work with the legislature to make real change.
WCT: Let's talk about your platform. What is your main priority?
Mark Schauer: [Running mate] Lisa Brown and I have put together a detailed education plan. She was the Democratic vice chair of the House Education Committee and knows her stuff. In fact, she was there fighting Snyder's billion-dollar cut to our public schools. Our plan talks about restoring funding that has been cut from our schools and taking the profit motive out of education. Michigan has a growing number of charter schools, but 80 percent of them are run by for-profit companies, which is by far the highest percentage in the nation. The phenomena of for-profit as well as virtual schools are attacks on our neighborhood and community schools.
Also, I want Michigan to provide publically funded, universal preschool to make sure our young kids are ready and excited to learn. I want to make sure teachers have access ongoing training and retraining to make sure they have the latest skills to teach our kids. We need to take a community approach to teaching our kids, especially those with special needs. We need to set standards for classroom sizes and student teacher ratios. We need to link career and technical education and community colleges with our public schools as well as make sure higher education is affordable in Michigan. You can tell, education is my number-one priority. The key to a good job is a good eduation.
There is a lot of work that can be done. Michigan is an innovative state. We have been successful because we possess a talented, qualified work force with a work ethic that is second-to-none, but we just need to get our fundamentals right. And in too many cases, Snyder has his fundamentals wrong. In many cases, his economic philosophies are based on tried but failed trickle-down economics. If we change the fundamentals, Michigan will put money back in the pockets of residents who are heavily taxed right now like retirees, families living paycheck to paycheck, etc. I believe you build an economy from the bottom up and middle out, and creating good jobs through repealing the Snyder job-killing retirement tax as well as rolling back tax increases on middle-class families and low-wage earners. It's a strategy that works, and it is time for Michigan to put ourselves back on track for our residents.
WCT: I know one of the negatives of your campaign is name recognition. People know Rick Snyder across the state. How are you getting your name out there?
Mark Schauer: Well, at this point, we've made great headway. I went from a state representative in one county, to a state sentor in two counties, to a one-term Congressman in seven counties to now being known by 60 percent of likely voters.
We have a multi-pronged strategy. One is meeting people in their living rooms, workplaces, union halls, churches, synagoges, mosques and more. The Democratic Party has its infrastructure up and running already; we have 16 offices open and we are opening more every week. We have 40+ staff on the ground and we are adding new staff every week. We are constantly talking to targeted voters on my behalf and on behalf of Gary Peters, who is running for a very important U.S. Senate seat. We are talking to people at their front doors; and we have a very aggressive and successful social media schedule that we are going to continue to build as well as a well-organized and detailed website. We have an impressive following that exceeds the current governor's likes and followers on all social media sites.
With the support of the Democratic Governors Association [DGA], we were initially on TV beginning around the beginning of February, which brought the race to a statistical tie. And then, as we speak, the DGA has me back on TV again and pointing out Snyder's failed record to Michigan residents. Luckily, we have $6 million; with this money we will be on TV ourselves, and television is very powerful and important. Our media regimen is very aggressive.
However, bottom line: Michigan is a blue state. Obama won Michigan by nine and a half points in 2012, and he didn't have to campaign in [the state]. We need to remind independent voters and many Democrats, who voted for Snyder in 2010, of what his record is and that he has not been moderate at all.
WCT: Various polls and different political blogs believe there is a lot of potential that the Schauer campaign is going to take Rick Snyder down. How are you feeling?
Mark Schauer: Great! Our polling shows that this is a close race, and the latest public polling shows that as well. The last two Republican polls showed it was a three-point race and the other showed it was a five-point race. It is very close. The good news/bad news for Rick Snyder is that he is universally known among Michigan voters. It's bad news too, because voters know his policies are benefitting the few at the expense of everyday Michigan residents. Snyder's economy is not working for the everyday person; the current governor's corporate tax cut is being paid for by cutting funding for schools and taxing the pensions of retirees.
People are learning that I am a person who always makes it my [top] priority to educate our kids. Also, I have been fighting for fair trade policies in Michigan and I was in the House of Representatives when Congress rescued the automobile industry, which is pretty important in the state of Michigan. That's been one bright spot in Michigan's economy over the past several years after Congress' actions. I think people see me waking up everyday and fighting for the middle class, fighting for fairness, fighting for equity of opportunities in Michigan, fighting for everyone in the state rather than just a few.
Overall, I feel great. I am talking about mainstream Michigan values. These aren't just Democratic values, these are fundamental Michigan values. Currently, we have a governor whose policies are really out-of-touch and hurting people and simply not working for most residents of Michigan.
WCT: What other issues do you think are facing LGBT Americans in 2014? Yes, the LGBT community has made unbelievable headway in the realm of marriage equality, but there is still work to be done. What other issues are plaguing gay and lesbian Michiganders?
Mark Schauer: There is subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination that I think affects the LGBT community during every phase of a gay [man] or lesbian's life. I feel that part of my responsibility is to change the culture in Michigan and how we fit together as a state. Laws are being changed [and] our constitution is being amended, and that's why we need a governor that brings people together.
I understand there is a real struggle still facing gay and lesbian people. I want to work hard to make sure our state is a welcoming environment for the LGBT community and all people who want to live, work and stay in Michigan. I talk to people all the time who are waiting and hoping the laws will change so they can live happily in Michigan, and I want to make sure these people stay. I have spoken to many parents whose adult children are gay and highly skilled, but they don't live in Michigan because of our backwards laws. So, I think we have this palable and historic opportunity to make change, which from a macroeconomic standpoint makes sense. We need talent and no policy should drive people away. The bottomline is we are not meeting our potential as a state.
WCT: In 2007, you endorsed former Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. What do you think of her chances in 2016? Does she have your support?
Mark Schauer: Well, I would be thrilled to see her run. I worked closely with both Bill and Hillary and I think she would be a wonderful candidate. A role I would relish as governor of Michigan is making sure Hillary wins. She still needs to deicide what she's doing, but I truly think she would do a great job as president.
More on Mark Schauer's campaign website at www.markschauer.com .
