Meet Aric Nesbitt: Candidate for Michigan Governor

Editor’s note: Michigan Farm Bureau has coordinated with the candidates for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat and the gubernatorial race to provide their responses to four questions to help you learn more about the candidate, their background, and agriculture-related views. In the interest of fairness and objectivity, staff did not write or edit the candidates’ submissions. Each profile is presented as submitted by the candidates.

U.S. Senate Candidates: Mallory McMorrow, Mike Rogers, and Haley Stevens

Candidates for Governor: Jocelyn Benson, Mike Cox, Mike Duggan, John James, Perry Johnson, Aric Nesbitt, Ralph Rebandt, and Kim Thomas

Aric Nesbitt – Republican Candidate for Governor 

In your words, tell us who you are and why you’re the ideal candidate for Michigan governor.

I’m Aric Nesbitt - I grew up on a sixth-generation dairy and grape farm in southwest Michigan, graduated from Hillsdale College, and, most importantly, my wife Trisha and I have three amazing kids. Growing up, my parents taught me the values you’ll find in God’s country - faith, family, freedom, the value of a dollar, and the importance of hard work.

We need proven leadership with a farm work ethic to get the job done and make sure everyone can make it in Michigan, and I'm the only candidate with these critical credentials.

What do you believe is the most pressing issue facing Michigan residents today, and what specific policies would you pursue as governor to address it?

When I was a kid, I always got a kick out of watching my grandpa prank telemarketers. They would call to ask if he owned his home, and he would respond by saying - “nope, I just rent it from the government!”

The state property tax is, in my view, the most pressing issue facing Michiganders. It is making the cost of housing unaffordable for families, and is forcing seniors out of their homes. As governor, I’ll eliminate the state property tax.

That is one of many issues that need to be addressed. I’ll also cut the red tape holding back farmers and small businesses, protect our land from foreign threats like China, improve our state’s education system, and revive our economy.

There is certainly no shortage of work to be done, but with my experience as the Senate Republican Leader, I know how to solve the challenges facing our families and state, and have the farm boy work ethic to get the job done.

Michigan agriculture is a major driver of the state’s economy and rural communities. What do you see as the greatest challenge facing Michigan farmers today, and how would your administration help address it? 

It is far too difficult for our farmers to make it in Michigan right now. While they try to feed families across America, they are met with barriers at every turn.

First and foremost, the state property tax must be eliminated. I’ll start fighting to make that happen on day one as Michigan’s next governor. With our natural resources, crop diversity, and proximity to markets, I will work to ensure we are a destination for agricultural businesses by making sure our regulations support growth. We will take a blow torch to the out-of-control regulatory state, speed up permitting and licensing, and repeal the Green New Scam that is driving up energy costs. To expand opportunity, we will encourage vocational education to make students career ready and connect rural Michigan to high-speed Internet and healthcare services. Instead of wasteful spending like in recent years, we will dedicate resources to improving our state's roads, bridges, water infrastructure, and build the Line 5 tunnel to ensure access to reliable and affordable energy.

I am the only candidate in this race with a deep understanding of the agricultural community, because that is where I grew up and live, and the experience and solutions to make Michigan a better place to farm and grow.

Michigan farmers depend on both a strong economy and healthy natural resources. How would you work to balance agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship, and regulatory certainty for landowners?

It’s in everyone’s best interest to preserve Michigan’s most precious natural resources. However, true environmental stewardship should never come at the expense of agricultural productivity. Unfortunately, Governor Whitmer and Lansing bureaucrats have too often given in to the demands of far-left environmental extremists, resulting in heavy-handed over-regulation that actively hurts our agriculture industry and creates massive uncertainty for landowners.

To balance these critical needs, we must fundamentally shift our approach. First, we must provide regulatory common sense. Farmers cannot invest in their operations or plan for the future when the rules constantly stand in their way. I would work to strip away arbitrary, burdensome mandates and establish clear, consistent, and science-based guidelines that respect private property rights, and ensure state regulators work to encourage and help rather than stand in the way.

Second, we must foster agricultural productivity by trusting the people who know the land best: our farmers. They are Michigan's original conservationists. Instead of punitive, top-down mandates from Lansing, we should encourage environmental stewardship through voluntary, incentive-based programs that support both healthy ecosystems and a profitable bottom line.

I believe we can achieve better policy and results when we bring level-headed leaders to the discussion to work toward common interests. By collaborating, we can preserve Michigan for future generations while ensuring our farming economy remains robust, competitive, and free from government overreach.