Michigan's GOP gubernatorial nominee creepily hit on a woman in 1989 — and it was caught on tape

Bill Schuette.
(Image credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

An interview clip that resurfaced this week is not a great look for Michigan's Republican gubernatorial nominee.

In a 1989 video posted by a Democratic opposition research organization, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, then a member of Congress, seems to creepily hit on a woman behind the camera as she sets up for an interview. When she asks him to move closer to a lamp, he tells her, "I will do anything you want," adding "some things I may not let you run the camera on." Next, Schuette compliments the woman for her "tenacity" and compares her camerawork to that of "Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Toulouse-Lautrec."

Schuette says he doesn't remember the clip, but that it seems to be a "poor attempt to be humorous 30 years ago," adding that it's "embarrassing" and "I regret it," The Detroit Free Press reports. Even before the video surfaced, Schuette was trailing Democrat Gretchen Whitmer by nine points in Michigan's gubernatorial race, according to Real Clear Politics' poll tracker.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.