Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “said he will withdraw from a planned Harvard fellowship after a social media backlash and email and petition campaign opposing the appointment,” the Detroit Free Press reports.
News of the appointment “sparked outrage over the weekend from critics who cited Snyder’s role in the Flint drinking water crisis.”
Authorities investigating Flint’s water crisis have used search warrants to seize from storage the state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and 65 other current or former officials, the AP reports.
One warrant lists all content from Snyder’s cellphone, iPad and computer hard drive.
President Trump hasn’t forgotten Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) decision not to endorse him and wasn’t timid in bringing it up during his visit to the state, Politico reports.
Said Trump as he posed for a photo op: “Come on governor, even though you didn’t endorse me.”
He added: “I never forget.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) declined to say which presidential nominee he would be voting for on Election Day, CNN reports.
Said Synder: “I keep that to myself in terms of how I vote, but I’ll be out there voting with my wife and looking forward to it.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “has sidelined himself in the race for president, choosing not to make an endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump,” the Detroit News reports.
Said Snyder: “I’ve stayed out of the whole thing, and I’m going to continue to. I’ve got important things I want to work on in Michigan.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “spoke directly to Flint residents and vowed to fix the beleaguered city’s lead-contaminated drinking water, as protesters outside of the Capitol called for his resignation,” the Detroit News reports.
Said Snyder: “I’m sorry, and I will fix it. No citizens of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe. Government failed you — federal, state and local leaders — by breaking the trust you placed in us. I’m sorry most of all that I let you down.”
New York Times: “The scandal over the water in Flint has engulfed Mr. Snyder in the biggest crisis of his tenure and reverberated far beyond the state’s borders.”
Wonk Wire: Flint’s water crisis underscores the need for big government
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) refused “to say when he knew the Flint water crisis — children being poisoned by lead from their drinking taps — was being mishandled,” NBC News reports.
“Earlier this week, the Republican declared a state of emergency over the elevated lead levels — which began when Flint switched water sources in April 2014 to cut costs. But an internal email obtained by Virginia Tech researchers shows that the governor’s office knew months ago that Flint’s families had reason to be worried about the problem and the response.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “will not run for president in 2016, according to two sources familiar with his planning,” Politico reports.
“Snyder, a Republican who was first elected in 2010, has been traveling across the country in recent weeks but has decided against a White House bid. One source close Snyder said he’d expressed concern about the time commitment needed for a national campaign.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said that he “sees an opening for a presidential candidate with his track record, though it likely will be weeks until he announces whether he’ll join the race for the GOP nomination,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
He said he was “watching the process, and I think you’ll find most of the candidates coming out by the June-July time-frame.”
Michiagn Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “may be the newest GOP candidate for the White House,” the Guardian reports.
“Snyder mingled with donors at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Friday and told at least one attendee that he was a candidate.”
Said former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman: “I met with Rick Snyder yesterday. He’s running. He’s running.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) is taking his economic success story on a national tour, Politico reports.
“Although officially the trips are aimed at promoting the local economy, they will also help boost Snyder’s national profile at a time when the emerging 2016 GOP field is anything but settled. And while Snyder’s uneasiness talking about social issues means he will have a tough time winning the party’s nod — and he’s not taking active steps toward a candidacy — his economic background and success governing a blue state could make him an attractive running mate.”
[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]The stage at the Republican debates could be very crowded. [/speech_bubble]
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.