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Conservative commentator and failed 2022 candidate eying another run for Michigan office

Tudor Dixon, who was the Republican nominee for governor of the Great Lakes State in 2022, said she has yet to decide whether to opt for the battleground state’s open Senate seat or governor’s office.

Joe Sommerlad,Mike Bedigan
Wednesday 19 March 2025 20:19 GMT
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Tudor Dixon pictured during her initial run for governor in Michigan in 2022
Tudor Dixon pictured during her initial run for governor in Michigan in 2022 (Getty)

Conservative commentator Tudor Dixon said she is considering another run for office in Michigan in 2026, despite being beaten by current state governor Gretchen Whitmer in the previous cycle.

Dixon, 47, who was the Republican nominee for governor of the Great Lakes State in 2022, said she has yet to decide whether to opt for the battleground state’s open Senate seat or governor’s office.

The pundit announced her decision in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday. In it, she attacked Governor Whitmer, saying she had spent six years “driving our state into the bottom 10 nationally” and presided over a “lost decade.”

“It’s time to bring Michigan back and lead once again,” she added, going on to stress the importance of job growth, lowering the cost of living, reviving the state’s manufacturing sectors, giving taxpayers value for money and increasing government transparency, without going into specific policy details.

Despite the endorsement of Donald Trump and other MAGA personalities, including Tulsi Gabbard, Elise Stefanik, Richard Grenell, and the wealthy DeVos family during her last campaign, Dixon lost by 10 points to Whitmer.

Whitmer now is term-limited, granting the broadcaster a potential second chance in 2026.

In her statement on Tuesday Dixon also praised President Trump, saying he is “leading the way nationally” by “delivering on his promises to secure the border, bring manufacturing jobs home and boost energy independence.”

Tudor Dixon has hinted she could make a second run to be Michigan governor after losing to Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer in 2022
Tudor Dixon has hinted she could make a second run to be Michigan governor after losing to Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 (Getty)

Originally from Naperville, Illinois, Dixon started out as a sales manager in her father’s company, Michigan Steel Inc., before moving into media after co-founding a conservative news site for students.

She began her broadcast career in 2018 when she was hired by Real America’s Voice to anchor its show, America’s Voice Live, on weekday afternoons.

Following her unsuccessful gubernatorial run, she pivoted to podcasting in 2023 and has hosted The Tudor Dixon Podcast ever since.

She has also frequently guested on Fox News and Fox Business as a contributor.

If she were to run for governor again in 2026, Dixon will face competition, with Michigan’s Republican Senate minority leader, Aric Nesbitt, having also declared his intention to run.

Democrats, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lieutenant-Governor Garlin Gilchrist, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, have also already announced, as has Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who will campaign as an independent.

The Senate race will be a battle to succeed the retiring Democrat Gary Peters.

Dixon would have to challenge former Republican representative Mike Rogers for their party’s nomination. Rogers has already moved quickly to hire Chris LaCivita, one of Trump’s presidential campaign managers, as an adviser.

Rogers ran for the Senate last year but was narrowly beaten by Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

Dixon is a mother of four, an evangelical Christian, and a breast cancer survivor. More surprisingly, she is also an amateur actress who has appeared in several low-budget horror films.

Among the entries on her brief IMDB page are a bit part as the victim of cannibal zombies in the film Buddy BeBop vs the Living Dead (2009) and a recurring role as a sword-wielding British vampire in the TV show Transitions: The Series (2010-11).

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