First District County Commission candidate Andrew George announced earlier this week that he has received the endorsement of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. George’s campaign received word of the endorsement by email from a gubernatorial staffer on Tuesday. “So many folks are beginning to see the important work we are doing here in St. Joseph County! I am so proud to have Governor Whitmer on Team Andrew,” George said in a Facebook post shortly afterward. “Thank you for your hard work and support, Governor Gretchen Whitmer!”
George told Watershed Voice he has been working closely with the Governor’s team lately on voter education issues, including “the voting process and how it works,” as well as “election facts, the Governor’s powers, things like that.”
Regarding last Friday’s nullification of most of Whitmer’s pandemic-related Executive Orders by the Michigan Supreme Court, George said he felt the decision “was a biased effort to prevent justified measures that the Governor was taking to protect Michiganders.” Regarding other agencies issuing similar orders since the decision, George said, “I am in support of that. I want to keep everyone safe and healthy in St. Joseph County.”
In his comments to Watershed Voice, George said, “I am honored to have the support of the Governor. “I believe she has seen the incredible work that we are doing here in St. Joseph County and I look forward to continuing with that same momentum after November.”
Previously, George received the endorsement of Whitmer’s primary Democratic challenger in the last gubernatorial primary election, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is a Detroit-area public health administrator and professor. George has also been endorsed by Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry, State Representative and U.S. Congressional candidate Jon Hoadley, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2093, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 131, and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Andrew Lewis.
George has been active in Three Rivers and St. Joseph County politics for several years. He is Board Chair for the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program, and is also chair of the St. Joseph County Democratic party. The General Election takes place on November 3 of this year. In that election, George faces two opponents for the First District seat on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. They include independent Matthew Mosher and Republican and former Three Rivers City Commissioner Jared Hoffmaster.
Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
