Democrat Shri Thanedar is highlighting his background as a scientist in the first TV ad of the 2018 governor's race.
The ad, which debuts Tuesday 11 months before the general election, criticizes President Donald Trump as a "climate change denier" and Gov. Rick Snyder as an accountant "who brought us the Flint drinking water crisis."
Thanedar, a political newcomer who sold a stake in his chemical-testing company, has given his campaign nearly $6 million.
The ad touts Thanedar as a chemist who worked on medicines ignored by "big drug companies." It notes his support for a single-payer health care system and calls him the most progressive Democrat running.
The campaign is not saying how much it will spend airing the ad. More ads are planned into the new year.
