(WWJ) – During his closing statements of Thursday night’s Michigan GOP gubernatorial debate, candidate Ryan Kelley invoked President John Adams.
“Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone,” Kelley said, quoting the second president of the United States.
Kelley used that quote to make a point, noting he stood on principle when he declined to attend this spring’s Mackinac Policy Conference, hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber. Kelley said he didn’t attend due to the chamber’s COVID-19 requirements.
“The Detroit Chamber wanted everyone to show their vaccine identification cards or take negative COVID tests as a way to enter,” Kelley said at Thursday’s debate in Warren, moderated by WWJ’s Charlie Langton.
“Except for the governor’s debate. They segregated them, they moved them outside in a tent, they treated these other governor candidates like second-class citizens in order to come up there and debate. And I said no. I said no to vaccine mandates and I stood my ground,” Kelley said.
He noted he “stood his ground,” despite the opportunity to get some major TV exposure.
“I passed on the TV cameras. God had a funny way – the FBI shows up, lots of national attention from there,” noting his face was on plenty of TV screens when he was arrested just several days later for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. – an incident that reportedly helped his numbers in polls of Republican voters.
“If you’re looking for someone that’s standing on principles, somebody that’s gonna fight for us, no matter what the cost – on Aug. 2nd, 33 days from now, vote for Ryan Kelley to make Gretchen Whitmer a one-time governor,” he said as the debate wrapped up.
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Kelley was one of five candidates in the debate at the Royalty House Banquet Facility. He was joined on stage by Tudor Dixon, Garrett Soldano, Ralph Rebandt and Kevin Rinke.
None of the candidates have ever run for office before.
Kelley’s closing statements came after an hour of debate and discussion on a wide range of topics, including the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, the economy, what should and shouldn’t be taught in Michigan education, election fraud and more.
The entire debate can be heard by using the Audacy Rewind feature and backing up to 7 p.m. Thursday.
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