Michigan’s Republican Party is gearing up to take back the governorship after losing it to Gov. Jennifer Granholm more than two years ago. With the primary election still 18 months away, some less prominent candidates have announced that they are running.

While big names such as billionaire Richard DeVos and University Regent David Brandon (R-Ann Arbor) have only been rumored to be considering a run, state Sen. Nancy Cassis (R-Novi) and state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R-Portage) have announced their candidacies. Another state legislator, Sen. Valde Garcia (R-Howell), said he is strongly leaning toward running.

Cassis, a former educator who represents the Novi district, said she is running because she feels the state is in trouble.

“From an economic standpoint, we are still struggling,” Cassis said. “You can’t keep blaming the federal government when you don’t have your own house in order.”

Michigan’s unemployment rate stands at 7.3 percent, the second worst in the nation and about two points higher than the national average. Although the state lost fewer jobs in 2004 than it did in 2003, both years were marked by consecutive job losses. The state’s struggling economy is shaping up to be the main issue of the gubernatorial election, as it already is for Granholm’s legislative agenda.

Granholm’s plan to revitalize Michigan’s economy focuses partially on encouraging all students to pursue post-secondary education, something Cassis disagrees with.

“There is a need in Michigan to dignify the fact that there are young people that do not want nor do they need four years of college to be successful in life. What they need are more opportunities for vocational high schools and technical programming right after high school. I support those who really want to invest in further academic college preparation to go,” Cassis said.

Vacancies in health care, construction and mechanics were among the jobs Cassis said are readily available and can be filled without a college education. Health care was one of the targets for Granholm’s “Jobs Today” plan that would seek to train and match the unemployed with jobs in that sector.

Cassis also criticized the new merit Granholm created that would give money to students after they have completed two years of post-secondary education, not high school.

“The new award breaks a promise that if you study hard, work hard and pass the test that you would be rewarded,” she said.

The governor’s plan includes a proposal to use $2 billion in state bonds for economic investment — something that Cassis says worries her.

“Bonds are not free; they are borrowing,” Cassis said. At least part of the bonds would have to be repaid by taxpayers and would add massive debt to the budget, she said.

If Cassis is elected, she said, she would cut taxes and eliminate “handicaps” to businesses. She has already sponsored a bill, along with Garcia, that eliminated the Single Business Tax and reduced the business health care penalty by half. Cassis said as chair of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Tax Policy Committee she ushered through all tax cuts of the past six years.

The first and only Hispanic state senator in Michigan, Garcia, says he is strongly considering a run for governor but may also run for U.S. Senate against Debbie Stabenow.

“I offer voters a different choice,” he said. Garcia not only holds the position of state senator but the rank of colonel in the Michigan National Guard, which he joined after nine years in the Army reserve and another nine as a U.S. Army officer.

Garcia was less strident in his criticism of Granholm’s bond proposal than Cassis.

“I think that’s she’s right to focus on jobs and the future,” Garcia said. “I’m just a little concerned that we don’t solve today’s problems on the backs of our children and grandchildren.”

He said Michigan needs to invest in high-technology jobs, especially in the area of life sciences, to help boost jobs and cut unemployment. But Garcia said the state should act more quickly to add jobs.

“Michigan used to be known as the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ back in World War II,” Garcia said. “Today, the Department of Defense spends $78 billion on procurement that needs to be made in America. Why should these jobs go to other states when we can do it right here in Michigan?”

Garcia said the state should spend more than the $740,000 it currently does to help Michigan businesses get part of the Pentagon’s procurement contracts.