Mike Bouchard - was an early choice for many people, me included.  I liked the read I picked up during our first few conversations.  He's solidly conservative, and our positions on key issues are either similar or identical.  Initially, Mike did well; and while some may think his choice of Terri Lynn Land as his running mate either premature or ill-considered, I don't believe that it was a negative factor.  Unfortunately, Sheriff Bouchard hasn't done well in the polling this year (never once polling above 14%), and the only thing he's well-positioned to do tomorrow is to siphon votes off of either Rick Snyder or Mike Cox . . . and hopefully both.

Rick Snyder - is, according to my girlfriend, the "drag queen of the republican primary" (in that he's obviously a poser).  This guy should not be the one still standing when the voting dust clears on Tuesday night.  Much has been said on RightMichigan in exposing the liberal leaning of the Nerd King, from his questionable business practices to his clearly anti-family social positions.  I've spent much time canvassing Wyoming and Kentwood (which is where the 3rd Congressional District primary is expected to be settled), and residents that I've spoken to have pointed out something else.

The Michigan 3.0 Plan on Snyder's campaign website is all about what the government is going to do for the people, the economy, and the state in general.  To me this smells like an Executive Office extension of the MEDC mission of choosing winners and losers in the private sector . . . something the government has no business doing.  As SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts said during his confirmation hearings, the government's job is to call balls and strikes, not to pitch or hit.  Winners and losers in the marketplace should be chosen by the free-market dynamics of entrepreneurial capitalism and nothing else; the only time the government should get involved is to appropriately punish businesses that resort to criminal tactics in their business dealings.

And, for the record, in my opinion, the fact that former Governor William Milliken has endorsed Snyder is not a mark in the Nerd King's favor.

Jason and I had a long chat about this over the past weekend; we both agree that Andy Dillon would be a better choice for governor than Rick Snyder (for that matter, so would Stacey Mathia).  Of the three front-runners, Rick is the one that neither of us want at the top of the ticket come Wednesday morning.  However, where we clearly disagree is on who should be in that top spot.

Mike Cox - is, in my opinion, a fine Attorney General, and in that capacity has served Michigan well for the most part.  However, again in my opinion, this weasel is as bad a choice for governor as Rick Snyder.  I went into considerable detail on Friday about the smoke screen being laid by the Cox campaign and their allies in the form of distortion, factual inaccuracy, and outright lies in their advertising.  On more than one occasion, those advertisers have been on the receiving end of requests to pull their ads due to provable inconsistencies with the truth.

Such an occasion occurred again late last week.  Michigan Business United (based in Macomb County) selectively used a video from a Pete Hoekstra Q & A session in the "Tough Enough To Lead Michigan" ad, quoting one line to make it look like he's in favor of a general tax increase.  In truth, the full footage (available here) makes it very clear that Pete is actually advocating for a complete overhaul of the state tax code, which will result in an overall tax decrease across the state.  The obvious misrepresentation was egregious enough that the Michigan Association of Home Builders, who hosted the session, was compelled to issue a press release requesting that Mike Cox have the ad pulled immediately.

Additionally, the various county and local fairs around this state have policies in place that prohibit the distribution of campaign literature on the fairgrounds per se (though the parking lots and approaches are considered fair game).  On at least two separate occasions this weekend - in Traverse City and in Holland - Cox, after being informed by the fair officials that he could not distribute campaign literature on the fairgrounds, removed his campaign identification and went into the fairgrounds anyway.  In Holland, according to Jim Chiodo (chair of the Holland-Zeeland Patriots), when Cox was approached by sheriff's deputies and asked to cease and desist, he replied that he was acting under the auspices of his office as Attorney General and had the authority to do exactly as he was doing.

Now mind you, there's nothing against a candidate paying the entry fee and walking around the fair, eating the "food" available there, and just talking with people; other candidates did so.  The no-no was campaigning on the fairgrounds, specifically distributing campaign literature.  I don't know what other such incidents may have occurred on the campaign trail, but I'll bet my hat that these weren't the only two.

Finally, a cursory review of the various major newspapers around Michigan provides a paper trail of systematic abuses by Mike Cox of his office, apparently for the purpose of scoring political points, as far back as February 27, 2009.

Let me make sure that two points are understood very clearly:

• Until any actual proof surfaces, the Manoogian Mansion "urban legend" falls into the category of "innocent until proven guilty."  Even though it's going to be a major distraction should Cox win the primary, he should not be disqualified based on a case that hasn't yet been fully aired in court.

• How a candidate runs his campaign is generally an indication of how he is going to govern.  (Our current POTUS is a case in point.)  Mike Cox has run his campaign in a manner more befitting a snake-in-the-grass - in my opinion.  While I have no problem with someone who's going to be tough while in office, abusing the powers of his current office while campaigning for a higher one is not a mark in his favor.

Pete Hoekstra - on the other hand, is perfectly qualified to be the Republican on the top of the ticket in this year's election.  And, unless something changes in the next 14 hours, Pete will be the one getting my vote.

Mike Cox and his supporters can cherry-pick Hoekstra's record all they want to in order to support any allegation that they choose to level, but the fact of the matter is that Pete has the equivalent of a "Straight F" rating from every significant liberal-progressive organization in the state and the country . . . for good reason.  Likewise, Pete has very solid standing from every significant conservative organization in both the country and the state.  (The full list of endorsements can be viewed here; pay attention to the scrolling list on the right side of the page.)

Granted, Pete didn't get the endorsement of Michigan Right-To-Life.  But, as Jason noted in his article last Tuesday, that's almost a technicality.  National Right-To-Life typically doesn't endorse in state races, but let's keep in mind that Pete has a "100% Lifetime Rating" from NRTL; I'm pretty sure that counts Pete as a pro-life candidate.  Likewise, while others may tout the fact that Mike Cox has the endorsement of three pro-gun organizations, let's also keep in mind that Pete Hoekstra has a "Straight A Lifetime" rating from the National Rifle Association.  (I'm pretty sure that even Harry Reid doesn't have that.)

Pete Hoekstra has business executive experience and legislative experience, neither of which are possessed by either Jennifer Granholm or Mike Cox.  In fact, the only other republican gubernatorial candidate who has the necessary mix of both executive experience and legislative experience is Mike Bouchard.  And Mike Cox is hardly the only credible conservative in this primary race.  Cherry-pick all you want; the truth is that Pete is pro-life, pro-gun owner, pro-taxpayer, pro-state sovereignty, pro-business, and even pro-family . . . period.  I don't know if Mike Cox has taken a position on Right-To-Work yet, or if he will.  What I do know is that Pete Hoekstra has.  He's on the record in the Detroit Free Press as being supportive of making Michigan a Right-to-Work state, and believes that will go a long way toward making Michigan more business-attractive.

All the polling data indicates that the Gubernatorial Primary on the republican side will probably be decided in the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th congressional districts.  Southeast Michigan (everything between the I-69 corridor and Lake Erie) will likely be a four-way split, the only question being as to how.  Pete doesn't necessarily have to win here; he just has to put in a credible showing, and as long as neither Snyder nor Cox dominates this area (which a credible showing by Bouchard should ensure), that'll be all that's necessary.

Granted, endorsements aren't votes, yard signs aren't voters, and polls aren't elections.  But mark my words; unless either Snyder or Cox runs away with Southeast Michigan, Pete Hoekstra will be the GOP nominee for governor.