Schuette, son of former Attorney General, announces run for state House
MIDLAND, Mich. — Bill G. Schuette formally announced on Monday morning that he is running for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. Mr. Schuette, the son of former Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, will run in the newly created 95th District, which contains the City of Midland.
“I learned from my time briefing generals as an intelligence officer with the Department of Defense to provide the bottom line up front, so here’s the bottom line: I am excited to announce I am running as a Republican for State Representative in Michigan’s 95th District,” Mr. Schuette said to a room of supporters and members of the press at Pizza Sam’s in downtown Midland.
Mr. Schuette said his campaign will focus on three things: freedom, family, and future. He also touched upon some hot-button social issues, such as alleged efforts to defund the police, parental rights when it comes to education curriculum and election integrity.
“Parents need to be — parents must be in charge of the cirriculum in our schools, not state bureaucrats. I will be a rock for our families and their values in Lansing,” Mr. Schuette said.
“Nobody cares more about their kids than their parents,” Mr. Schuette told the City Paper when asked about the difference between parents and all tax-payers. “So I want to make sure that they always have a voice, and that their always at the table when it comes to the education of their children.”
Mr. Schuette enters the race after widespread speculation, facing off against Midland County Clerk Ann Manary in the G.O.P. primary. Ms. Manary announced her intentions to run for the seat representing Midland back in March, saying that election reform, local flood recovery, and government transparency would be her top priorities.
“We live in a democracy and anyone is able to get into the race,” Ms. Manary told the City Paper in September. “I would hope that the community would support the candidate with experience not only in the elections field but also in county government. I have spent the last 31 years working with the constituents in Midland County, making sure that every election has been run fairly and with the utmost integrity. I will continue to do so as the County Clerk or as the State Representative. My job is to serve the people no matter what role I am elected to.”
Ms. Manary is a donor to the City Paper. Please read our Editorial Independence policy to see how our sponsors, donors, and advertisers never influence our journalism.
The state House seat, which now represents the 98th District, is currently held by Annette Glenn. The district lines for the 2022 race were recently changed by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Ms. Glenn has organized a committee to run for state Senate.
Mr. Schuette recently applied to serve on the Midland Planning Commission in order to occupy a seat that ultimately went to Live Oak Coffeehouse owner Aaron Deckrow. Mr. Schuette included a résumé with his application for that position. The résumé listed several Washington D.C.-internships as well as his stint serving with the Defense Intelligence Agency as an Intelligence Analyst. Mr. Schuette said that he was the primary drafter of multiple Presidential Daily Briefs “which directly supported Oval Office meetings,” and that he was once recognized as the agency’s Latin America Division “Intelligence Officer of the Year.”
Mr. Schuette has a Master’s Degree in Latin America Studies from Georgetown University. He currently works as a Government Affairs Specialist for Dow, preparing briefing documents for Dow C-suite executives to support their external engagements and board meetings.
“I was born and raised in the city and grateful for the wonderful resources it provided our community. I want Midland to continue to be a great place to group, work as a young professional, raise a family and retire,” Mr. Schuette said in his application to serve on the commission.
Michael Westendorf is the chairman and executive editor of Chemical City Paper. As Executive Editor, he leads the City Paper’s news coverage and editorial team.