Kathleen Gray

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

Several people unlikely to be seen at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s speech to the Detroit Economic Club later today belong to a pretty exclusive club.

Current and former governors of Michigan are either working for the Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton, or have declined to endorse Trump in the race for the White House.

Former Gov. William Milliken, a moderate Republican from Traverse City, broke ranks over the weekend and is endorsing Clinton for the presidency.

“This nation has long prided itself on its abiding commitments to tolerance, civility and equality. We face a critically important choice in this year's presidential election that will define whether we maintain our commitment to those ideals or embark on a path that has doomed other governments and nations throughout history,” Milliken said in a statement. “I am saddened and dismayed that the Republican Party this year has nominated a candidate who has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not embrace those ideals.

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"Because I feel so strongly about our nation's future, I will be joining the growing list of former and present government officials in casting my vote for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.”

It's not the first time he has chosen a Democrat over a candidate from his own party. Milliken endorsed former Gov. Jennifer Granholm in her 2006 campaign for governor; Democrat Mark Totten, who ran against and lost to Attorney General Bill Schuette in 2014; Gary Peters in his successful run for the U.S. Senate in 2014, and state Rep. Gretchen Driskell, D-Saline, in her current bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton. But he has also endorsed Republicans, including Gov. Rick Snyder and 2008 presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Snyder, while saying positive things about fellow Midwestern Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, who is the Republican nominee for vice president, has declined to endorse Trump. Snyder said during the Republican National Convention last month that he views the races for the state House of Representatives and Michigan Supreme Court as his top priorities. Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton said Saturday that he is not planning to attend Trump's speech today.

“I’m just staying out of the presidential race,” he said during a reception he hosted in Cleveland during the convention — although he stayed away from the arena where the convention was held. “As the governor of Michigan, I view that as my priority.”

Former Gov. Jim Blanchard and Granholm are both Democrats working on Clinton's behalf.

Former Gov. John Engler, who wasn’t available over the weekend to talk about the presidential race, is at odds with both Clinton and Trump. He told the Washington Times in June that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which both candidates oppose, is a top priority for the Business Roundtable, the group of influential corporate leaders for which Engler serves as president.

He added in the article that businesses are in an “absolute fight for global talent,” which means that attracting workers from other countries for jobs with high vacancies, including engineers and scientists, is a priority.

Trump has been an ardent foe of more open immigration into the U.S. and has suggested banning immigrants from countries with high rates of terrorism, building a wall along the border with Mexico and deporting all undocumented immigrants.

Michigan Republican Party spokeswoman Sarah Anderson said Milliken's endorsement of Clinton was irrelevant.

"It's news when Milliken endorses Republicans these days," she said.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal