Fund For Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Hints At Presidential Run

LANSING (AP) — People close to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder have formed a fund allowing him to travel the country and tell of the state's rebound under his watch, raising the prospect of a potential Republican presidential bid.

An aide close to the governor told The Associated Press on Friday that a 501(c)(4) group, Making Government Accountable, was established within the past month. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly about Snyder's plans and requested anonymity.

The aide said Snyder is still considering at a presidential run and that a decision could be made in a few weeks.

The fund itself is not designed to be a campaign fundraising arm. Instead, it will help Snyder put out a "Michigan message about managing the budget, reducing pension liabilities and getting the debt down," the aide said.

Former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak is raising money for the fund, according to multiple people active in state GOP politics. Schostak could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

Snyder has people raising money and looking for staff, said a GOP donor who was not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions and requested anonymity.

The governor of a Midwest industrial state who bills himself as a practical decision-maker and a "tough nerd" turnaround artist, Snyder would not be a leading presidential contender should be run. But bottom-line Republicans could be impressed by the nearly 400,000 private-sector jobs created on Snyder's watch, an unemployment rate halved from 11.2 percent to 5.6 percent and a right-to-work law that made union fees optional.

Snyder also pushed his state's financially wrecked biggest city, Detroit, into federal bankruptcy court, a task that some people thought would take years. A year and a half later, the city emerged with a lighter debt burden, though still facing many difficulties.

Snyder is urging Michigan voters to approve tax increases on the May 5 ballot to repair the state's crumbling road and bridge infrastructure. His support for a tax increase sets him apart from recent Republican White House prospects, who have aggressively opposed tax increases under any circumstances. His push to promote the tax plan just as the Republican primary contest begins also underscores the former computer company CEO and venture capitalist's approach to governing regardless of the political consequences.

Unlike other GOP leaders, Snyder does not condemn President Barack Obama or his policies as part of an attempt to remain what he calls "relentlessly positive." Snyder's criticism is typically a broader critique of "Washington" and its culture of political infighting.

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