Will Congressman Dan Kildee Run for Governor in 2018?
Rep. Dan Kildee talks possible run for governor, Flint crisis, Amir Hekmati, and the death of his father.
It’s been a big and hectic year for Congressman Dan Kildee. The congressman from Flint Township has been advocating at the front of the Flint water crisis, and he was instrumental in helping secure the release of Amir Hekmati from five years of imprisonment in Iran. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine, is a constituent of Kildee.
Now rumors are swirling around Kildee at a rapid pace about a potential run for governor of Michigan in two years.
“I’ve heard a little bit here and there,” Kildee jokes with Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson.
Six years ago the Democrat began a brief campaign for governor before deciding to run for Congress instead. Kildee says now is not the time to make the decision whether to run for governor in 2018. He says he can do the most good for his constituents by running again for Congress, and will wait some time to consider any other office.
But Kildee does have a hefty amount of criticism for the sitting governor of Michigan. Kildee says he thinks Snyder’s apologies surrounding the Flint water crisis are sincere, but not enough.
“I don’t think he understands the true nature of the position he holds,” says Kildee. “What I would suggest to him is he make a very clear statement to the state Legislature, and it would go something like this; ‘The next bill I sign is the Flint Recovery bill. Knock yourselves out doing whatever else you want to do. The next time I use ink on paper is when I sign the Flint Recovery Act.'”
Kildee says the recent death of his father, has re-framed the way he looks at his personal and professional aspirations.
“Clearly it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with. The world looks different to me every single day,” says Kildee. “My father was the guy I talked to about everything.”
To hear more of Kildee’s conversation on Detroit Today, click on the audio player above.
The above photo is of Attorney General Bill Schutte (right) and Congressman Dan Kildee (left). The two men who are widely rumored in political circles to be considering runs for governor in 2018 crossed paths briefly between interview on Detroit Today while at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Schuette is a Republican, Kildee is a Democrat. Schuette jokes they could run together on the “Unity” ticket.
