Tudor Dixon worked in the steel industry. Now she hopes to forge a stronger Michigan as governor.

“Running and growing a Michigan-based steel company as a woman – that was tough,” Dixon said to MLive. “When the times get tough, the tough get going.”

A Trafalgar poll of likely voters showed Whitmer had a 4% lead on Dixon in late August. Just before that, Dixon had been trailing Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by 11%, according to an EPIC-MRA poll. 

Dixon recently sparked controversy with comments about abortion in the case of rape.

“The bond that those two people made, and the fact that out of that tragedy there was healing through that baby, it’s something that we don’t think about,” Dixon said to Fox 2.

Dixon clarified she is “pro-life with exceptions for the life of the mother.” 

Originally from Illinois, Dixon graduated from the University of Kentucky and began working for Michigan Steel in 2002. She took a break from the industry in 2009 after having children with husband Aaron Dixon and being diagnosed with breast cancer. After winning the fight against cancer, Dixon returned to work, becoming district sales manager for Finkl Steel.

Steel is a family business for Dixon. She said one factory her family worked with changed its environmental footprint by switching methods of production.

“In the steel industry, we made steel castings the same way for many years,” she said to WZZM. “Innovation is great, we should always be focused on that.”

Dixon eventually worked her way into the conservative media world. She co-founded Lumen Student News in 2017, and became an anchor at America’s Voice News in 2019. Today, she lives in Norton Shores, Michigan. Dixon, 45, boasts of being a working mom to four girls. 

Dixon said issues like COVID-19 and education spurred her run for governor.

“I’m watching what’s happening with kids in school and started to talk to folks and say, ‘Who’s going to run against Gretchen Whitmer?’” she said to WZZM. “We said, if we can build the right team, this is the time.”

Republican National Committee Spokesman Nathan Brand ‘15 told The Collegian Dixon is a “phenomenal” candidate.

“As Michigan struggles to recover under Whitmer’s lockdowns, excessive mandates, and her attacks on parents rights, families are looking for a new direction,” Brand said. “No better time than now to find a campaign to help and elect Republicans.”

Dixon said she opposes teaching critical race theory and gender ideology, according to Fox 17, and told WZZM she trusts parents to make decisions about their childrens’ education.

Recovery from Whitmer’s COVID mandates remains one of Dixon’s top issues. A nursing home kept Dixon’s grandmother “locked away and sent home to die alone,” she said to MLive. Dixon said she saw mandates hurting businesses at the same time.

“Allow people to be prosperous while they’re going through the regulations,” she said to Fox 17. “Where can we slim down government to help business?”

Dixon said she would make reliable energy a priority, but also hopes to attract renewable energy sources to the state.

“I’m always supportive of innovation and ideas to make sure that we are having the least possible impact,” Dixon said to WZZM. “We can’t focus on that to the point of straining our electrical grid.”

If elected, Dixon said she hopes to work across the political aisle on issues like law enforcement, according to WZZM. 

She said Michigan is reaching a crucial time in its history.

“This is a turning point for the state,” she said to WZZM. “We either bring it back on track or we could potentially see a state in disrepair like we’ve never seen before.”