MARQUETTE — “What we want to do is we want to travel the state, we want to meet Michiganders and we want to talk about what’s on their heart, where they are and what they’re needs are.”

Dr. Jim Hines wants to be the next Governor of Michigan. His campaign motto is four words: ‘People First, Not Politics!’

“It should always be people before politics,” he said. “My goal is to put people first and their needs. I find the two very similar- putting patients first or putting the people first before politics, so that’s what I want to do.”

Hines spent last week traveling the state talking with constituents. He made his last stop Saturday in Marquette.

Hines told a group of people at the Ramada Inn that supports the second amendment, the right to life and if elected governor, he would shutdown Line 5, the oil pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac.

“I’m very concerned about the security of Americans, Michiganders,” Hines told the crowd. “If those pipelines break, we have four million people that take their drinking water out of the Great Lakes. Now what are we going to do?”

A group of NMU students attended the rally. The students, who all identify as democrats, didn’t agree with much that Hines, a republican, had to say.

“A lot of the answers to the questions that we had for him were just empty. There were no true solutions to it,” said NMU student Haniah Davis. “I think as more executive orders come out from our president and more things get put into place, I think it will be interesting to see how Doctor Hines positions change on things or perhaps how he starts modifying some of his campaign platforms and ideas,” Davis added.

The 61-year-old Hines owns a private practice in Saginaw. He’s put his practice in the rear-view mirror for now.

“I stopped doing surgery, I stopped delivering babies, I stopped taking night call. I’m working in the office two days a week and the other five days we’re out campaigning; we’re out talking with people, meeting with people,” said Hines. “I’m leaving what I love to do, what I still love to do, to do what I believe God’s called me to do.”