LANSING -- The sheriff. The physician turned state senator. And "One Tough Nerd."

Three of the Republican candidates for governor (Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, Ann Arbor venture capitalist Rick Snyder and state Sen. Tom George, R-Texas Township) gathered Friday at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lansing for a forum on agriculture -- not a debate per se, but that didn't stop the guys from taking some digs.

"Not a knock on the other candidates, but I'm the only one that's got the experience to be governor," Bouchard said

Snyder shot back, "People are tired of career politicians. It's time to reinvent Michigan."

George: "Among the Republican candidates, I'm the only one that's in the [state] legislature now."

1. Bouchard has faced a smear campaign early, including an alleged affair with a co-worker, and trails the pack in recent polls, but says he's weathering the storm.

"I'll let the people make the decision," the former state lawmaker said. "The people throwing mud? They can wallow in it."

2. George is the little-known state senator from texas township. A part-time anesthesiologist, he says he has the political experience to reform state health care.

"There's a chance, if I'm elected, a physician governor, to fix our health care programs, free up resources to invest in the things we need to do," George said.

3. And Snyder, the wealthy businessman who's climbed atop the polls on the back of one pretty famous super bowl ad.

"Bureaucracy needs to go away," Snyder said. "And we need to replace it with customer service government."

A motley crew, to say the least, vying Friday for the hearts and votes of Michigan's second-largest industry.

In a recent poll from The Washington Post, Snyder is in the lead pack with Attorney General Mike Cox and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, with Bouchard and George trailing.