Rick Snyder is this election year’s republican nominee for governor. In 1977 he earned a bachelors of general studies; in 1979, he earned a Masters of Business Administration; finally, he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1982. All of his degrees came from the University of Michigan.

After graduating, Snyder went to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers, an international auditing and Professional Services firm. There he was named a partner of the firm in 1989. In 1991, he went to work for Gateway Computers. While he was there he became the President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. Snyder held that Position until he left in 1997.

Snyder is running his campaign under the slogan “one tough nerd” and the idea that the state needs to “reinvent Michigan.”

His Michigan 3.0 plan focuses on creating jobs in an a new era of innovation and entrepreneurship. This is in contrast to eras that he describes Michigan 1.0; the era when the economy relied on the state’s natural resources and Michigan 2.0; the era of the automotive industries. Snyder also has a 10-point plan that also includes reforming the tax system, fixing broken government, controlling urban sprawl and bringing “winning” back to Michigan.

Snyder’s running-mate is Michigan House of Representative Member, Brian Calley. Calley is a graduate of Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University.

Virg Bernero is the democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan. He graduated with a bachelors of the arts in political science from Adrian College in 1986. After obtaining his degree, Bernero became a legislative analyst for House Speakers Lewis Dodak and Gary Owen. He became the commissioner of Ingham County in 1991 and held that office until 1999.

In 2000, Bernero began to climb the political ladder as far as state government goes; he was first elected to the House of Representatives. Bernero remained there for one term until he got elected to the state senate in 2002. After he served in the senate, Bernero was elected Mayor of Lansing in 2006, an office of which he still holds.

Bernero’s Campaign is running under the name of the “Truth Squad.” His website says that certain facts of his political career are being twisted against him to distract voters. Bernero is planning to rely on his Political experience as mayor of Lansing to focus on bringing jobs back to Michigan. According to his campaign website, he plans to build back up Michigan’s infrastructure by investing in its already advanced manufacturing capabilities. Bernero also is focusing the reform of education. Tying the education system into the economy Bernero believes that better schooling systems will attract more businesses.

Bernero’s running-mate is Brenda L. Lawrence, the current mayor of Southfield. She is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor’s degree in public administration.