Republican challenger, Richard DeVos will lose this year's gubernatorial contest to incumbent Governor Jennifer Granholm.  Do I want the Governor reelected?  No, but Richard DeVos has not convinced many disillusioned and irritated Michiganders to lend him the support that they previously gave Granholm back in 2002.  Are Michiganders angry at Governor Granholm?  Yes.  Are they willing to elect Richard DeVos?  No.  As a public high school teacher, approximately 90-percent of my colleagues are stalwart supporters of the Democratic Party-locally as well as nationally.  As I listen to the many anti-Bush rants in the teachers' lounge before school and during lunch, I also hear quite a bit of anti-Granholm sentiment.  Many of my colleagues are frustrated and angry that Jennifer Granholm acted as a "do-nothing" governor during the last 4 years in office.  As the number of unemployed grew, and the negative buzz about Michigan grew louder, she seemed "asleep at the wheel", and more interested in commenting on issues of a national character than the events taking place under her nose.  Despite being highly educated, well-spoken, and a Clintonesque campaigner, she seemed a distant ruler from the state capital in Lansing. 

So along came businessman Richard DeVos.  His massive advertising blitz propelled him from a long-shot candidate to a serious challenger to the beleaguered governor.  He hired the best and brightest Republican strategists from around the country, and produced upbeat ads with everyday Michiganders who spoke of their fear of losing employment and their frustration at losing children to other states who could employ them.  For awhile, DeVos seemed as if the perfect fit for Michigan's woes.  A take-charge businessman, who would inspire confidence in the small business owners and manufacturing workers alike.  But the distant-feeling that Granholm espoused is also present within the DeVos campaign.  Like the professor from The Wizard of Oz, DeVos appears from behind the curtain only in television commercials, and when forced to publicly debate his rival. 

The first bungled opportunity came as he expressed support for intelligent design in public schools, while getting off message on the economic woes of Michigan's economy.  While many politically conservative Christians support intelligent design in public schools, many are ambivalent on this issue.  I think that this open expression of support, actually hurt his electoral chances with nonreligious undecided voters who are apt to vote with their wallets.  Another disaster came as he did not support the full repeal of the single business tax.  Whether true or not, many small businesspeople and business leaders want that tax jettisoned as a symbolic and real sign of commitment to the business community that so distrusts the current governor.  The failure to eliminate the single business tax in rhetoric alone has caused many potential-DeVos supporters to reconsider Granholm as the "devil you do know is better than the devil you don't know" candidate.  Lastly, the first public debate demonstrated that Governor Granholm is the better politician in saying what needs to be said to get reelected (another Clintonesque trait) rather than DeVos' slowly, meandering answers that went nowhere quick.  Consequently, the number of undecided voters increased after the debate as questions about a DeVos governorship have grown. 

In the end, I believe that the Granholm-DeVos Contest will be close, but not close enough for the Republican challenger.  I predict that many Michiganders disgusted with the current Governor may vote for DeVos as a protest vote against the "business as usual" approach during the last 4 years.  Many of the undecided voters will break for the incumbent as DeVos has not gained their confidence over a well-liked Governor who disappointed.  The day after the election will show that Michiganders will grant Governor Granholm a second chance at regaining their trust, and that Mr. DeVos had many of necessary characteristics of a leader, but still lacked the traits that matter most.