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Is Thanedar a political junkie or 'politically ambidextrous' with Rubio meeting?

In video shown live on and obtained from C-SPAN, Thanedar is shown shaking hands with former presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in Iowa on January 30, 2016 just before the Iowa caucus.

LANSING, Mich (WZZM) - Less than three months out from Michigan's primary, the history of all the gubernatorial candidates is being scrutinized.

That's why video of Democratic candidate for Governor Shri Thanedar's attendance at a Republican presidential primary rally back in 2016 is raising some eyebrows.

In video shown live on and obtained from C-SPAN, Thanedar is shown shaking hands and taking a photo with former Presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in Iowa on January 30, 2016 just before the Demcratic Iowa caucuses.

The video from C-SPAN shows Thanedar shaking his head in approval and smiling after Sen. Rubio talked about growing "the conservative movement".

Twenty minutes later C-SPAN's cameras caught Thanedar clapping after Rubio said "Hillary Clinton can not be the Commander-In-Chief of the United States".

Thanedar has spent millions of dollars of his own money on his campaign and has touted himself in commercials during this gubernatorial campaign as the "most progressive Democrat" out there.

Some Democrats who are critics of Thanedar say the video proves to them Thanedar is "politically ambidextrous" and has been willing to be on either team, Republican or Democrat, just to get an opportunity to have power rather than to run on a platform of certain beliefs.

Thanedar struck back against his critics in a statement indicating he attended more than a dozen political rallies during the 2016 presidential cycle.

"Being a political junkie and attending rallies isn’t a crime and it shouldn't be one," Thanedar wrote. "I'm used to being attacked, marginalized and looked down on like a lot of other Michiganders. That's why I'll fight harder than anyone to help families get access to good-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, and clean and safe drinking water, which is what the true measuring stick should be for any Democrat running for office, not whether or not they were caught on candid camera at a political rally."

Along with the statement, Thanedar sent us a photo showing him in the background of Presidential candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders rally, shortly after he attended Sen. Rubio's rally in early 2016.

Shri Thanedar sent us a picture of hime  on stage at a rally for Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won Michigan’s Democratic primary.

Records show Thanedar largely has provided campaign cash to Democrats but did support Republicans in some cases.

During the current race, Thanedar has compared himself a bit to Sen. Sanders who won Michigan's Presidential Primary over heavily-favored Hillary Clinton in March 2016.

There are two other major competitors in the Democratic primary for Governor. Gretchen Whitmer has long been the favorite of the party's establishment but hasn't gotten on track just yet. Strategists tell us they expect to see Whitmer start airing commercials in the coming days or weeks leading up to the August primary. A third candidate Abdul El-Sayed is competitive in the race as well.

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