MI-Gov: Candidates Bill Schuette, Gretchen Whitmer aim for 3 debates

Michigan gubernatorial candidates Bill Schuette and Gretchen Whitmer are aiming to face off in three debates before November's general election.

What are the details?

Schuette, a Republican, and Whitmer, a Democrat, hope to square off against one another in at least three televised debates prior to the Nov. 6 general election.

On Thursday, Schuette suggested the three debates to include sites in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Flint, Lansing, or Traverse City.

Whitmer has also posed the suggestion of three debates, and agrees that a Detroit debate would be ideal, and would focus on education and skills training. Whitmer also suggested a Flint debate, in which the candidates would focus on infrastructure and water, and a Grand Rapids debate zeroing in on health care across the state.

Whitmer and Schuette won their respective primaries on Tuesday.

Whitmer is a former state senator and one-time Ingham County prosecuting attorney, and Schuette is the state's attorney general.

Nicole Simmons, Whitmer's press secretary, told MLive, "Michigan voters only had one chance to see the candidates for governor debate in 2010 and 2014, and we think that needs to change."

In a statement, Schuette said, "Michigan families deserve to know the records of the candidates for governor and have a true sense of where the candidates are likely to steer Michigan in the future."

Anything else?

The winner is replacing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who is retiring.

latest poll from Emerson College in Massachusetts showed Whitmer holding a 7-point lead over Schuette, according to WZZM-TV.

The poll’s margin of error is 4 percent, and the polling was conducted July 19-21.

You can read more about Whitmer and Schuette’s backgrounds here.

The Cook Political Report calls the governor’s race a toss-up.  The general election is set for Nov. 6.