Tim Skubick

In the last 50 years or so you have elected governors from all walks of life including a department store owner (Gov. Milliken) two career politicians (Gov’s Blanchard and Engler) a lawyer (Gov. Granholm) a business guy/nerd (Gov. Snyder) and a former legislator (Gov. Whitmer.)

Never have you elected a butcher, baker or candle stick maker nor for that matter a man or woman of the cloth.

If Ralph Rebandt was writing the next sentence it would go like this.

“I will make history as the first Christian pastor to become governor.”

Really?

Here’s what we know at this early stage of the 2026 November vote.

He is running for governor on the Republican side.

He ran four years ago and did not win.

He is down near the bottom of the crowded seven person field in the polls but while he believes in God, he does not believe in polling.

“We have a larger army of people statewide, grassroots, people who are helping all over…I’ve got so much support, it’s unbelievable,” he boldly reports.

But he also asserts that he’s not only battling for votes with the six other opponents, but “I’ve learned that we not only have to fight evil, but sometimes we have to fight sometimes our own party.”

He contends there are those in the state GOP who “choose their candidates, they anoint them and they leave the rest of us out,” He figures they don’t want to give up that power.

The unanointed pastor argues he’s been left off party email lists, been denied a seat at debates, and when they showed a video of all of those running for governor at the recent state nominating convention, some how his video was not included.

None of this is by accident he explains and as for a reason?

“They are literally afraid” of him getting the nomination.

He knows who those folks are but confesses, “I’m not ready to throw them under the bus,” while confirming that reporters would recognize the names if he started throwing.

So against all that he continues logging countless miles as he drives with his bride of 30 years circling the state hoping to grow more grassroots that will somehow win him the nomination.

One other thing we know for sure, he will not be congregating with pro-choice female and male voters who potentially are a powerful bunch of voters. They demonstrated that with Proposal 3 to legalize abortions in this state. It passed overwhelmingly and those folks showing up at the polls hung around and voted for candidates who shared their pro-choice beliefs. Many of them won as a result.

He’s well aware of that but he indicates his saving grace on that front is another cadre of citizens who are conservative like him.

“There are 1.6 million conservative voters who don’t vote…”I’m not convinced that everybody who holds my position (pro-life) in Michigan came out to vote in 2022” when the abortion issue was on the statewide ballot. He is telling them and anyone else who will listen that if elected, “I will use my voice to warn people about the dangers and how it is harmful to women.” But he won’t stop there.

He knows he can not as governor revoke that amendment but he was asked if he would try to undo the abortion constitutional amendment or pass laws to restrict access to the operation? he responds in the affirmative.

His critics would argue he is ignoring the majority will of the citizens in Michigan.

He was also asked if he would “nibble around the edges” of the law to make changes?

“Yes. I would do that. Yes. I’m that strongly in favor of life. Yes.”

So in other words, “you would modify what the people of Michigan have established in the constitution if you could?

“Yes.

On a different front he is willing to work with anyone to get stuff done and dismisses other candidates who reject that notion saying “elections have consequences” and the losing party gets the spoils.

Asked if he had ever voted for a Democrat he tells reporters, “No. But I did vote for John Kennedy.”

Quickly remind that presidential candidate Kennedy was a Democrat, he rejoined, “I was al little younger at the time.”

Was he misguided?

“I vote for people and principles.”

You don’ think Democrats have principles?

“I didn’t say that,” as he abruptly ended that line of questioning.

So we end where this began.

Is the state ready to elected its first Christian pastor to run the state?

Some might say only the Good Lord knows for sure.