Michigan Republicans cemented an election-denying platform on Saturday by electing Kristina Karamo as their party’s leader. Karamo lost her election bid to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson by 14 points, refused to concede, and sued the City of Detroit trying to throw out mail-in votes.
Karamo upset the Trump-endorsed candidate, Matt DePerno, who lost his election for Attorney General to Dana Nessel by eight points.
Both candidates were severely outraised by Democrats as traditional GOPsters refused to back them, including Betsy DeVos.
“Donors have said, ‘we’re not buying the crazies that you’re selling,’” said Jeff Timmer, a senior adviser for the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, and a former Republican who previously served as executive director of the Michigan Republican Party.
- “We lost the entire statehouse for the first time in 40 years, in large part, because of the top of the ticket. All deniers. It turned off a lot of voters,” former longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton said last week. “As I look at the state convention, it looks like it could well be more of the same.”
- “In our state, this civil war is benefiting no one but the Democrats,” Peter Meijer said.
- Outgoing party chair and insurrection supporter Meshawn Maddock said that big donors would rather “lose this whole state” than help the party’s candidates because they “hate” Mr. Trump.
The Republican convention brought out some bigly names.
Fellow election-denier and DePerno endorser Kari Lake was supposed to speak at the Nuthouse in Lansing, but ultimately wasn’t able to make it.
Pants-pooper Ted Nugent was stumping for the “common sense” candidate Scott Greenlee, who was endorsed by January 6 defendant and gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley. Kelley has a trial date in July in Washington, D.C.