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WASHINGTON -- Democrats controlling the House of Representatives demonstrated this month the hollowness of their claim that they have ended the corruption of 12 Republican years. Rep. John Murtha quietly slipped into the Intelligence authorization bill two earmarks costing taxpayers $5.5 million. The beneficiary was a contractor headquartered in Murtha's hometown of Johnstown, Pa., whose executives have been generous political contributors to the powerful 17-term congressman. This scandalous conduct would be unknown except for reforms by the new Democratic majority. But the remodeled system is not sufficiently transparent to expose in a timely manner machinations of Murtha and fellow earmarkers...

Will he? Or won't he? He won't say for sure. But six months after he was thumped in a bid for governor, Dick DeVos sounds like he wants a second chance. Last week, in a speech in Ludington, DeVos told a gathering of Republicans he is ``open'' to running again. `If I'm the right man at the right time and Michigan calls, I can't help but answer.'' There are other signs. His ``Dick DeVos for Governor'' Web site is still up, inviting visitors to subscribe to an e-mail list. And the former Amway president is delivering what sounds like a...

Besides the Tigers, the main thing on the minds of Michigan residents is the state's tanking economy. So when the state's most prominent Republican businessman entered the gubernatorial fray...it should have been a home run. Instead, 10 days before the election, Dick DeVos has lost his 15-point summer lead ...and is now trailing by more than eight points... At a time when Michigan needs economic leadership, he has so far shown little charisma... That Michigan has become the Mississippi of the Midwest is no secret (actually, Mississippi is doing better...). While the rest of the country is experiencing real overall...

Michigan Freepers, I look forward to your comments.

Folks, I look forward to your feedback on Dick Devos and his performance this evening.

EAST LANSING - Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Republican challenger Dick DeVos jostled over jobs and taxes, stem cell research and public safety in the first of three televised debates. With the election barely five weeks away, the 60-minute showdown offered voters clear contrasts as they focus on who should lead the state for the next four years. Polls show it is a very close race. DeVos offered Michigan's highest-in-the-nation jobless rate as evidence of the need for change. "The atmosphere is clearly not here for job creation. That's why we need leadership," he said. Granholm said the state has...

OAKLAND COUNTY -- First Lady Laura Bush was in Michigan Thursday stumping for the Republican candidate for governor and pushing some of her own initiatives. Thursday marked the first time during Republican candidate Dick DeVos's campaign in which he appeared with a major member of the administration. When President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney came to Michigan for fundraisers helping GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mike Bouchard, DeVos was nowhere to be found. DeVos spokesman John Truscott said DeVos already had commitments when the president and vice president announced they were coming to Michigan. But Democrats say it's clear the...

A new, exclusive News Ten survey is out tonight with Governor Jennifer Granholm widening her lead over Republican challenger Dick DeVos. Fifty-percent of the people surveyed in the Epic-MRA poll said they will vote for the incumbent, while 42 percent say will vote for DeVos. The last News Ten poll in July showed Granholm leading with only three-percentage points, making the race a statistical dead heat. When it comes to Michigan's slow economy, President Bush gets more blame. 44 percent of voters polled say they blame the President, while only 28 percent point at Granholm. In the race for US...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos's campaign has focused on Michigan's struggling economy. But he made a rare foray into the politically dangerous debate over social issues last week when he told The Associated Press that he supports teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in public schools. The DeVos campaign later backpedaled. It released a statement Wednesday saying the AP report was inaccurate and that DeVos only supports letting local school boards decide what to teach. "In the end, I believe in our system of local control," he said in the statement. "Local school boards should have the opportunity to offer evolution...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos says he thinks Michigan's science curriculum should include a discussion about intelligent design. He says teaching intelligent design along with evolution would help students discern the facts among different theories. He'd like to see local school districts be able to teach intelligent design if they choose to, although he wouldn't require that it be taught in science classes. "I would like to see the ideas of intelligent design that many scientists are now suggesting is a very viable alternative theory," DeVos told The Associated Press this week during an interview on education. "That theory and...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos on Friday won the endorsement of the Michigan Farm Bureau after pledging to cut property taxes on farmland and support an immigration policy that protects the needs of agriculture. "Dick DeVos' business expertise and his support of small businesses was a common theme among the recommendations received from county Farm Bureaus" that weighed in on the endorsement, said Andrew Hagenow, chairman of the Farm Bureau's political action committee, AgriPac. "People sometimes forget that agriculture, at its core, is not simply a way of life, it's a business much the same as other industries in Michigan,"...

GRAND RAPIDS -- The latest EPIC-MRA poll, released just 54 days before the November 7 general election, shows statewide incumbents are holding the lead. The poll, exclusive to 24 Hour News 8 and our media partners, sampled 600 people between September 7 -12, and includes a margin of error of 4 percent. Governor Jennifer Granholm holds an 8-point lead, 50-42, over Republican nominee Dick DeVos. It's the second consecutive poll Granholm has held a lead bigger than margin of error. In the previous poll, Granholm led 49-42. In the race for the US Senate, incumbent Debbie Stabenow has opened a...

Governor Granholm and her attack crew are using blatant lies and distortion on Dick's record as a Michigan jobs maker. Every product made in China, stays in China. In order to sell Michigan made products in China, Dick was required to open a plant in China by Chinese law. Dick got into the Chinese market in early 1995; layoffs did not occur until 1998. There is NO connection between China and the layoffs. In fact, 400 jobs are here in Michigan to support the Alticor sales effort in China. By Selling Michigan-made Products around the World, Dick Saved the Company...

LANSING -- Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm raised $3.3 million in the first half of 2006. Republican challenger Dick DeVos nearly matched that in a single day when, on June 19, he wrote a $3 million check to his campaign.In 12 months, DeVos has poured nearly $13 million of his own money into a gubernatorial campaign that has blanketed Michigan TV channels with ads since February. That's $2 million more than Granholm has collected in more than three and a half years of aggressive fundraising since she took office.So far this year, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday, DeVos has...

After months of slowly climbing in the polls, Republican Dick DeVos now leads incumbent Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) 48% to 42% (see crosstabs). Granholm had a very slight edge in last month’s survey 44% to 42%. Though the polls have been close since February, this is the first Rasmussen Reports election poll in which Granholm has fallen behind. Michigan normally leans to Democrats, and incumbents usually have a big advantage when seeking re-election, but the state’s economy continues to drag down this particular Democratic incumbent. Thirty percent (30%) of the state’s workers are worried about losing their job. That’s far...

Gubernatorial Race: DeVos (R) 48 Granholm (D-inc.) 44 Senate Race: Stabenow (D-inc.) 53 Bouchard (R) 36 Stabenow (D-inc.) 53 Butler (R) 33 In the primary: Bouchard 43 Butler 37 Undecided 20 Other numbers: Granholm has a negative five percent approval spread. Stabenow's is positive 13 percent.

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan's unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.3 percent in June, state officials said Wednesday. That's up from the 6.0 percent seasonally adjusted rate in May. Michigan's unemployment rate remains above the national average, which was 4.6 percent in June. The change in the state's jobless rate was "relatively minor," according to Rick Waclawek, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. The size of the state's labor force increased by 23,000 in June. About 10,000 more people were counted as employed and 13,000 more were counted as unemployed...

In July 2004, freshman Gov. Jennifer Granholm was in such demand for interviews at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, she even turned down star ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings. She was toasted as a bright new hope, chosen for a prime-time speech. Admirers were disappointed to learn she was born in Canada and therefore can never run for president. Two years later, Granholm's rising star has been yanked to Earth by a lagging Michigan economy. Polls show her virtually tied with Republican challenger Dick DeVos, whose unprecedented TV ad campaign so far has cost an estimated $7 million. Meanwhile,...

Dick DeVos Picks Up Lead in Michigan Republican businessman Dick DeVos has increased his lead over Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm in the race for governor of Michigan, a new poll reveals. In the poll of 1,200 likely Michigan voters by Strategic Vision, LLC, DeVos led 48 percent to 41 percent, with 11 percent undecided. A poll in late May had DeVos – scion of one of Michigan’s wealthiest families – ahead 45 percent to 42 percent. Another poll in early May had the two deadlocked. "DeVos increased his lead significantly over the past month and Granholm lost some support,” said...

For the first time in modern Michigan political history, a sitting governor is behind her challenger. The latest EPIC-MRA survey commissioned by WILX News 10 shows Republican DeVos with 48 percent and Democratic Incumbent Granholm trails with 40 percent. In addition, the exclusive poll results show that the number of voters willing to reelect the governor has fallen to 30 percent while the rest of the voters surveyed want somebody else. In fairness, this survey was completed before the first batch of pro-Granholm commercials hit the air waves and she is expected to pick up some points from that, but...

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LANSING - A new poll released today by Strategic Vision shows Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos with a three- point lead over Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm. The poll shows DeVos leading Granholm, 45-42 percent, with 13 percent undecided. Respondents in the poll said they were dissatisfied with her job performance by a margin of 44-41, and by an overwhelming 61-28 margin said they believed Michigan is on the wrong track. The poll revealed Senator Debbie Stabenow is leading each of her three Republican challengers in head-to-head match-ups. In other areas, 62 percent of respondents disapproved of President Bush's job performance....

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Jennifer Granholm debated Dick DeVos in Detroit. Has anyone followed the outcome? With any kind of honest election, Jennifer will become a one-term Governor. In her time in office, she has not done one thing that has helped the state but has blamed President Bush for all the problems Michigan faces. She drones on about jobs being out-sourced without addressing the fact that most of Michigan's outsourcing is not going to other countries but is going to other STATES. Her recent action to increase the minimum wage in Michigan is only going to drive more businesses out of the state...

Below are the results of a three-day poll of likely voters in the state of Michigan. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Michigan, aged 18+, and conducted April 17-19, 2006. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and his wife gave the private foundation they run more than $29 million during a recent three-year period and handed out nearly $10 million from the foundation to schools, think tanks and various charities over that time. They were the only contributors to the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, which donated an average of $3.3 million annually in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The largest beneficiary of the foundation those three years was the Education Freedom Fund, which got $978,000. Dick and Betsy DeVos are on the board of the fund, which...

Granholm appoints new state treasurer 4/6/2006, 12:56 p.m. ET By DAVID EGGERT The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Thursday tapped an economist who 30 years ago helped create the state's Single Business Tax to join her cabinet as the new state treasurer. Robert Kleine, a former director of the state Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis, will replace Jay Rising, who resigned in late February to become vice president and chief financial officer for the Detroit Medical Center hospital system. The treasurer oversees the collection, investment and disbursement of state money. "It is a challenging...

Michigan voters are in a foul mood and overwhelmingly pessimistic about the state's prospects, according to a poll released Wednesday. Three of four voters believe Michigan is headed in the wrong direction - that's the highest number recorded since Marketing Resource Group of Lansing started asking the question twice a year in 1985. Six months ago, 62 percent said the state was headed in the wrong direction. "It's the worst that we've ever seen," said MRG pollster Paul King. Voters "see things as really bad, and they don't see it getting better." The poll of 600 registered voters was conducted...

Angus Reid Global Scan) – Jennifer Granholm remains the top candidate in Michigan’s gubernatorial race, according to a poll by EPIC/MRA. 51 per cent of respondents in the Great Lake State would vote for the incumbent in a head-to-head contest against Republican Dick DeVos. Granholm—a Democrat—was elected in the November 2002 election, defeating Republican challenger Dick Posthumus with 51 per cent of the vote. Support for Granholm dropped by two points since January, while backing for DeVos—the former chief executive officer at Alticor and husband of former state Republican chairwoman Betsy DeVos—is now at 41 per cent, up five points....

Granholm holds lead but DeVos gains, poll says 3/9/2006, 11:13 p.m. ET By JOHN FLESHER The Associated Press (AP) — Republican challenger Dick DeVos is edging closer to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, but the Democratic incumbent remains ahead as voters hold her less accountable than President Bush for Michigan's economic woes, according to poll results released Thursday. The telephone survey, conducted Sunday through Wednesday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA for WXYZ-TV in Southfield, also showed Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow well ahead of her three potential GOP rivals. Fifty-one percent of the 600 likely voters polled supported Granholm, while 41 percent backed DeVos....

DETROIT -- Michigan has a problem: Its prosperity is withering as America's automobile industry withers. So Gov. Jennifer Granholm has a problem: She is seeking re-election in this cold economic climate. Her likely Republican opponent, Dick DeVos, has a problem: People are appalled by the state's condition, but they like Granholm. As does DeVos: ``She's a really nice person.'' The result may be a rarity -- an outbreak of gentility in politics. Debates about economic policies involve splittable differences, so civility might actually be served by the seriousness of Michigan's crisis. The focus on traditional economic issues may preclude any...

"Dick DeVos is a man of integrity," said Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo. "He has a track record of leadership in business and a history of leadership in working to improve education in our state. Furthermore, he is an example of leadership by the way he lives his life and I have great respect for him. We need a leader for Michigan that people can put their trust in to do what is needed in this state to change the economic climate. I am happy to offer my endorsement and I look forward to helping him any way I can as he continues...

DeVos selects former Bush strategist as senior adviser 8/3/2005, 5:32 p.m. ET The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A former campaign strategist for President Bush has signed up to help Dick DeVos in his bid to become Michigan's next governor. Matthew Dowd is the DeVos campaign's new senior adviser, the campaign announced Wednesday. DeVos, a Republican, wants to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm in the 2006 election. Dowd was a strategist and pollster for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in the 2004 election. He previously was senior adviser to the Republican National Committee and was director...

Granholm leads DeVos in poll; over half give positive job rating 7/8/2005, 5:16 p.m. ET By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm leads likely Republican opponent Dick DeVos 51 percent to 33 percent in a new poll released Friday. Sixteen percent were undecided. The governor's job approval and favorability ratings remain above 50 percent, nearly unchanged since March. Republicans have criticized Granholm for not doing enough to help boost the state's struggling economy, but the sharp words apparently have not done much to dent how voters feel about her. The latest poll...

DeVos raps Granholm at GOP rally Thursday, June 09, 2005 By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Dick DeVos signaled his opposition to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's two cornerstone economic platforms Wednesday, and assailed the state Democratic Party chairman for comments he made about DeVos' business experience. DeVos, meeting with GOP activists for the first time since declaring he would run for governor last week, was a special guest at the Kent County Republicans' spring reception at the Louis Benton Steak House downtown. Nearly 300 local activists showed up for the event to get an early glimpse of...

All eyes are on race for governor Web-posted Jun 6, 2005 By SVEN GUSTAFSON Of The Oakland Press MACKINAC ISLAND - If there were an overriding theme to this year's Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference, it was that both the state and Detroit face crisis situations. Political and business leaders heard repeatedly that bold thinking, more aggressive marketing and less partisan political stalemates are needed if the state is to right its rapidly sinking ship. And while politically, the Detroit mayoral race figured largest at the 25th annual conference, next year's gubernatorial race gained noteworthy attention at the event....

The son of one of Forbes magazine's 200 richest people said Thursday that he will run for governor in 2006. Dick DeVos, 49, said at a policy conference that "I'm intending to be a candidate." He is the son of Richard DeVos, said by Forbes magazine to have a net worth of about $3 billion.

Dick DeVos, the former president of Alticor Inc., has announced that he will run for governor of Michigan in the 2006 election. DeVos told 24 Hour News 8 the news on Thursday while on Mackinac Island where he is attending a conference this weekend. DeVos is a major Republican donor and the husband of former state GOP Chairwoman Betsy DeVos. He filed paperwork last month with the Secretary of State Office. Creating an exploratory committee is a first step toward forming a full campaign committee.

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In the race? DeVos steps to line Tuesday, March 08, 2005 By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Republican activists are just waiting for Dick DeVos to make his final move on the path to running for governor. The anticipation ratcheted up a notch after DeVos, the former CEO of Alticor, filed paperwork with the state's election office last week to form an exploratory committee. "At this point, it's a good sign for all of us," said Gary Granger, a Grand Rapids developer and a close acquaintance of DeVos. "At this point, it tells me he's the...

Dick DeVos creates exploratory committee for gubernatorial bid 3/5/2005, 4:20 p.m. ET The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Dick DeVos, a southwestern Michigan businessman and a major Republican donor, has taken a step toward running for governor next year by creating an exploratory committee. DeVos, the husband of former state GOP Chairwoman Betsy DeVos, on Friday filed paperwork with the secretary of state's office, the Detroit Free Press reported. Creating an exploratory committee is a first step toward forming a full campaign committee. DeVos, president of Alticor, has said that he may not make a decision on whether to...

Amway's DeVos in no hurry to decide on '06 race Sunday, February 06, 2005 By Steven Harmon \ The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Dick DeVos will take the next "few" months to decide whether he should run for governor. At the state Republican Party convention Saturday at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, the former Alticor president spoke publicly for the first time about a rumor that's swirled around GOP circles for weeks. "I'm looking at this as an opportunity to serve the state I love," he said. "It deserves serious consideration. But it's a decision that should not...

DeVos creates buzz as GOP meets here Saturday, February 05, 2005 By Steven Harmon The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS -- Dick DeVos has sought advice from top Republicans on whether he should run for governor and has heard a consistent theme: Gov. Jennifer Granholm is vulnerable, and he would be the right man to take her on. The former president of Alticor has kept his intentions closely guarded since his name began popping up last month as a possible challenger in 2006. But DeVos' close political associates say he is seriously considering a race. "It depends on how he...

Republicans looking for new leader as DeVos prepares to step down 11/23/2004, 5:23 p.m. ET By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The jockeying to replace Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Betsy DeVos has begun. Former state Rep. Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski, who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Sen. Carl Levin in 2002 and served in the Michigan House from 1997-2002, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he wants the job. "I was an elected official, I was active with the state party at the grass roots, I understand fund-raising ... party organization and planning," he said, listing...

Good morning! Welcome to Grand Rapids! Thank you for taking the time to be here. I know it is a sacrifice.on a Saturday in May, there are soccer games, track meets, and plenty of yard work, so we truly do appreciate your commitment to be here. I'm going to warn you up front; I'm going to say some things today that aren't usually said in polite conversation, but they are things that need to be said, things long overdue. I'm going to give voice to some things that you have likely been thinking, but haven't quite gotten up the courage...

Cheney pulls in $500,000 for Bush's re-election run Tuesday, July 01, 2003By Steven HarmonThe Grand Rapids Press At an event that raises more than $500,000, confidence is not typically in short supply. With Vice President Dick Cheney in Grand Rapids on Monday raising money for President Bush's re-election campaign, West Michigan Republicans could not be faulted for feeling ascendant. "Things look pretty good, especially today," said Roosevelt Tillman, a businessman who attended the noon fund-raiser at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. "You raise over a half-million dollars at a lunch, it speaks volumes about the president and his leadership."...

(Grand Rapids, November 8, 2002, 11:30 a.m.) A familiar face in the Republican party wants her old job back. 24 Hour News 8 has learned Betsy DeVos will campaign for the Republican State Chair.Two years ago DeVos resigned from the post after a falling out with Governor John Engler over school vouchers. But, now with a Democrat at the head of state government a spokesperson for DeVos says she feels her input is needed more than ever and is ready to lead the Republican Party again. DeVos is expected to formally announce her candidacy sometime next week. The election takes...