MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder all but declared his re-election campaign Friday, telling Republicans they can be proud of his record even as he defended signing a key component of the federal health care law unpopular with his own party's base.
"We're going to keep going and we're going to reinvent our state," Snyder said to loud applause.
His remarks came amid intraparty tension four days after he signed a bill providing Medicaid health insurance to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults under the federal health care overhaul.
Just before his speech, the crowd watched a Snyder campaign video calling him "one successful nerd," a follow-up to his 2010 "one tough nerd" campaign moniker. He also asked for money from supporters in an email and said to stay tuned.
Snyder recently said he planned to announce his re-election plans early next year. But there's no doubt he's preparing to run again.
Democrat Mark Schauer's campaign says Snyder isn't doing a good job, noting Michigan's unemployment is the fourth-highest in the country when it was fifth-highest when he took office.
