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Senate Race Heats Up With Hoekstra Accusation About Durant's Pay

By CBS Staff

U.S.  Republican Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra's team took issue Monday with comments made by GOP candidate Clark Durant involving his pay at a Detroit school during taping of CBS62 "Michigan Matters."

Durant, Hoekstra and Randy Heman -- the three Republicans hoping to win next week's Aug. 7 primary in the U.S. Senate race for the right to take on U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow,  appeared exclusively on the Emmy winning weekly program.

In the interview that aired Sunday, "Michigan Matters" host Carol Cain asked Durant about media reports that detailed his  pay from Cornerstone Schools - a school he started in Detroit --  and compared it to the governor, mayor and head of Detroit Public Schools.

"Let's get the facts right," Durant responded to Cain. "I received $200,000 as the CEO of Cornerstone, no benefits, no raises, no nothing...a separate foundation chaired by Robert Lutz that I was being paid $250,000 to do a lot of work to create a new common school...My salary has never been $500,000,: he said adding media reports have been inaccurate.

"Mr. Durant continues to mislead voters about his pay arrangements, activities with his Super PAC, and Hoekstra's record with his negative attacks," Greg VanWoerkom, spokesman for Hoekstra, said Monday.

Durant failed to mention the money he has received from the Genesis Foundation that was in direct relations to his Cornerstone Schools, Van Woerkom added.

According to the latest Internal Revenue Service filings by Cornerstone Schools, New Common School Foundation and the Genesis Foundation,  Durant was paid: 2004: $512,507,  2005: $574,507,  2006: $448,884, 2007: $395,998, 2008: $136,123, 2009: $475,384, 2010: $525,214, Van  Woerkom added.

And Durant received benefits from Cornerstone Schools including $14,920 in 2006 and $14,945 in 2007.

The Durant team did not respond for comments to Van Woerkom's statements.

Catch up on "Michigan Matters" HERE.

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