News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette and his running mate, Lisa Posthumus-Lyons, make an early morning stop in Alpena on Friday to meet and address voters. Schuette said some of his favorite childhood memories were made in Northeast Michigan, including going to Lud’s Restaurant.

ALPENA –With only three days remaining before Tuesday’s midterm election, there has been a steady wave of candidates visiting communities throughout northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

On Friday morning, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette and his running mate, Lisa Posthumus-Lyons, visited Alpena’s Thunder Bay River Restaurant, where the pair mingled with supporters and updated them on the campaign and Schuette’s prospects of being elected governor.

The duo is running against Democratic candidates Gretchen Whitmer and Garlin Gilchrist.

Schuette, the current Michigan attorney general, said there are two simple things voters should consider before choosing a candidate on Tuesday, and he expects the majority of voters will make the right choice and vote for him.

“Just ask yourself if things are better now than they were 10 years ago, when we were in the ‘lost decade’ under Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and do you want to go back to that?” Schuette said “Or, do you want to continue to move ahead and continue to build on Michigan’s comeback? If people choose to keep moving forward, we are going to win on Nov. 6.”

Schuette has often compared Whitmer’s political platform to that of Granholm, who was governor from 2005 to 2011. Schuette said that, if his opponent is elected, history will repeat itself, with large tax increases and companies laying off employees or moving their businesses out of the state.

Schuette said Whitmer will also be weak on immigration at the state’s borders and could make Michigan a “sanctuary” state.

In a statement, Whitmer said that is not the case and there are many matters in the state she believes have been neglected by Republicans, who currently control all three branches of state government, and she wants to help fix them so the quality of life for residents is improved.

“”I have a real record of working with everyone who wants to get things done, like when I worked with Republicans to expand Medicaid to more than 680,000 Michiganders as Senate Democratic leader,” the former state lawmaker said. “I’m proud to have built a broad coalition of bipartisan support for my campaign, with leaders from the past three Republican administrations supporting me because they know I’m the only candidate for governor who can work across the aisle to solve problems.

“As governor, I’m going to focus on the things that will actually make people’s lives better right now, like fixing the damn roads, making health care more affordable, repealing the retirement tax, and improving education and skills training,” Whitmer added. “Let’s get to work.”

Posthumus-Lyons said she grew up in near Lake Michigan and knows the importance the Great Lakes have on coastal towns such as Alpena. She said they play a big role in local economies and draw tourists who spend money in local small businesses. Posthumus-Lyons said those are just a couple of the reasons why protecting and preserving the lakes are paramount.

“The Great Lakes is what defines our state and communities like Alpena and make them what they are,” she said. “Whether is it used for recreation or being used to make a living or being used for drinking water, it is our responsibility to be good stewards of it and make sure we have clean, fresh water now, and for the future of Michigan.”

Schuette said he has a special bond with Northeast Michigan, especially Alpena. He said that, as a boy, he would come each summer to Long Lake and many treasured memories were made during those times. He said that, as he got older, he has returned to the area and, if elected, he intends to be a familiar face and return as often as possible.

“My history in Alpena goes back to when there was a Lud’s drive-in and I know the history of places like Rogers City, Harrisville and Hillman,” he said. “We are here because we understand sometimes people in Northeast Michigan may feel overlooked, but that won’t happen in my administration.”

Polls have varied in how the race is panning out. Some polls claim Schuette is more than 10 points down, while others say the race is dead even. He said people should not rely on polls to predict the outcome or the race because they are often flawed.

He said polls have been proved wrong many times and the 2016 presidential election, when very few polls predicted a Donald Trump victory, is a prime example of that.

“The gap is narrow-thin and it is going to be very close,” Schuette said. “We are within the margin of error and gaining steam. A big bump of support in Northeast Michigan would be nice, and there will be a strong red wave from Western Michigan. Then, it will be all hand-to-hand combat, so to speak, in Southeastern Michigan. Trust me when I say this, We’re going to win.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.