LIVENGOOD (CRAIN’S): “Make no mistake, James Craig’s campaign is not unhappy with what transpired: a confrontation with BLM protestors against a bucolic backdrop on an island state park on the Detroit River. They’ll be raising money off the Fox News b-roll for months.” – Chad Livengood, Crain’s Detroit
LLOYD JACKSON (WJR): “Those protestors, unbeknownst to them, did a big favor for the campaign of Chief James Craig. He’s getting a lot more attention. He was on TV, he was in the papers, he’s everywhere.” – Paul W. Smith and Lloyd Jackson on WJR
PAUL W. SMITH (WJR): “He wouldn’t have had this much coverage without these people doing what they did.” – Paul W. Smith on WJR
NOWLING (TWITTER): “Chief James Craig couldn’t have scripted a better announcement. Controversy. Guaranteed coverage for days. National media attention which helps with fundraising?” – William Nowling, PR professional and fmr. spokesman for Gov. Snyder
SELLECK (WJR): “The protesters who came there to disrupt and sort of cancel James Craig probably did him a favor.” – John Selleck, PR professional
TUCKER CARLSON: “This didn’t look like an organic groundswell of political fervor from the city of Detroit. I mean, just kind of eyeballing it there.” – Tucker Carlson, Fox News
DETROIT FREE PRESS: “The raucous welcome into the gubernatorial race is indicative of both the vitriol Craig will face and the support he’ll garner.” – Dave Boucher, The Detroit Free Press
BRIDGE DETROIT: “Craig appeals to older Detroiters and those who have a lot of problems with how younger people vocalize opposition to the police. Detroiters are more conservative than I think a lot of people are willing to give them credit for.” – Bryce Huffman, Bridge Detroit.
PAUL W. SMITH (WJR): “I do see the Chief’s disappointment with the DNR, because they run Belle Isle. Michigan State Police should have been there too.” – Paul W. Smith on WJR
NOWLING (TWITTER): “Think about the visuals here: unhinged left is either worried about Craig’s candidate or it is just plain unhinged. Either way, that is a frame that works here (I am not advocating, just observing).” – William Nowling, PR professional and fmr. spokesman for Gov. Snyder
SKUBICK (WLNS): “Craig campaign ‘wanted’ protesters at announcement event.” – Tim Skubick, WLNS CH 6
SELLECK (WJR): “It’s clear that they [Craig campaign] were communicating with the department that gave them the permit to use this.” – John Selleck, PR professional
WDET: “Craig likely wanted the flak from protesters to gain national attention, raising more money and scoring the primary spot. “They seem to have wanted this confrontation,” Livengood says of Craig’s campaign. At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Craig was invited on to Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News.” – WDET
COLLEGE STUDENT (DETROIT FREE PRESS): “These attacks will likely resonate with Republican voters.” – Kyle Schimeck, Oakland University
SELLECK (WJR): “I actually think that this is an opportunity also for Gov. Whitmer, and she’s not done anything with it, so she’s failed on it so far. Seeing what happened there, especially seeing what happened on her staff’s watch, she should have already come out and said you know what, I was upset with what happened yesterday.” – John Selleck, PR professional
LIFELONG DEMOCRAT VOTER (DETROIT NEWS): “I have respect for him,” Pulliam said during the protest delay. “He took care of this city as police chief and would take care of the state as governor. You can have a difference of opinion,” she said, offended by the protestors, “but the language?” – Patricia Pulliam, 77 yr old lifelong Democrat
SELLECK (WJR): “Those protesters didn’t mean to, but they did a favor to James Craig. He’s not the nominee yet, and he wants to be able to say, say, this race is defined now as me, James Craig, against Gretchen Whitmer.” John Selleck, PR professional
NOWLING (TWITTER): “What the media—and the “strategists”—miss is that these announcement events are not for them. They are not even for the general electorate. They are for a very hyper-partisan base vote that actually votes in primaries. Period.” – William Nowling, PR professional and fmr. spokesman for Gov. Snyder