A television advertisement in Michigan sponsored by the Washington-based Democratic Governors Association shows a retiree complaining that his pension was taxed while the business burden was cut. Even Republican candidates not in the legislature when it passed the measure are fair game, said Josh Pugh, a spokesman for the Michigan Democratic Party.

“No question, the Republican Party is going to own a tax on seniors who are living on a fixed income,” Pugh said.

Snyder’s camp sees it differently. The governor didn’t raise pension taxes; he eliminated an unfair exemption, said his spokeswoman, Sara Wurfel. It wasn’t right to give retirees in their 50s a pass on income taxes while older and younger workers paid, she said.

Tackling Issues

“The governor does not do anything based on the politics of a decision,” Wurfel said. “He has tackled some issues that were unresolved for decades.”

She said Michigan is the eighth-most-generous state to retirees among the 42 with income taxes, citing a Michigan Treasury Department analysis.

Snyder, a former venture capitalist and computer company executive, nurtures an image of an iconoclast who avoids partisan battles. Still, he infuriated Democrats in 2012 by supporting a so-called right-to-work law opposed by unions and tighter restrictions on abortion clinics. He miffed Republicans when he expanded Medicaid coverage.

Snyder’s “Comeback Kid” campaign theme weaves stories of economic resurrection in a state whose unemployment led the nation for 45 straight months from May 2006. Michigan’s economy continued to improve during May, June and July with strong auto sales, according to Comerica Bank’s Aug. 25 economic index.