Michigan Republican Party | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Pete Hoekstra [1] |
Senate Leader | Aric Nesbitt |
House Leader | Matt Hall |
Founded | July 6, 1854 , in Jackson, Michigan |
Headquarters | Lansing, Michigan |
Student wing | Michigan Federation of College Republicans |
Youth wing | Michigan Young Republicans Michigan Teen Age Republicans |
Women's wing | Republican Women's Federation of Michigan |
Ideology | Conservatism |
National affiliation | Republican Party |
Colors | Red |
Michigan House of Representatives | 54 / 110 |
Michigan Senate | 18 / 38 |
Statewide Executive Offices | 0 / 4 |
U.S. House of Representatives | 6 / 13 |
U.S. Senate | 0 / 2 |
Website | |
Official website (Hoekstra) | |
The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, United States, sometimes referred to as MIGOP.
Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been elected in 2015 by delegates to the Republican State Convention, in 2017, McDaniel became Republican National Committee Chairwoman, serving until 2024. [2] The Michigan Republican Party hosts a biennial political conference at the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel called the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. The event features notable national Republicans, senators, governors, and presidential candidates. [3]
Even though the Michigan Republican Party has historically been characterized by conservatism, the party took a hard-right turn after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. [4] [5] [6] [7] After the 2020 United States elections, the Michigan Republican Party pushed false claims of fraud and sought to overturn the election results. [8] [9] [10] A months-long Republican investigation found there was no evidence of widespread fraud and recommended for the attorney general to investigate some who had made such allegations for personal gain. [11]
Starting in 2023 and as a result of the 2022 elections, the party has no substantial political power in the state. The Republican Party has minorities in both chambers of the state legislature and its U.S. House delegation, as well as neither of the state's U.S. Senate seats, and no statewide executive offices.
Republicans have been elected to the governorship of Michigan in 27 of 48 gubernatorial elections. The first was Kingsley S. Bingham in 1855, and the most recent is Rick Snyder, who was elected in 2010, and then re-elected in 2014.[ citation needed ]
After President Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal, Vice President Gerald Ford became the 38th President of the United States. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids and served as a U.S. Representative from Michigan from 1949 to 1973.[ citation needed ]
Following the 2016 election and Reince Priebus' selection to be White House Chief of Staff, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ronna Romney McDaniel became Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. Then-President-elect Trump recommended McDaniel in December 2016 to replace Priebus. [12] She was officially elected as RNC chair on January 19, 2017, becoming the second woman to hold the post in RNC history, after Mary Louise Smith. [2]
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Michigan and Donald Trump refused to concede, the Michigan Republican Party pushed false claims of fraud and sought to overturn the election results. [8] [9] [10] In January 2021, the Michigan Republican Party sought to replace GOP member Aaron Van Langevelde on the Michigan Board of Canvassers; he had previously voted to certify the Michigan election results in favor of Biden. [13] One of the candidates that the Michigan Republican Party sought to nominate to that position was Linda Lee Tarver, who had been involved in efforts to overturn the election results. [13]
According to the Associated Press, since Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election and Michigan swinging back to the Democrats, the Michigan GOP have taken a hard right-wing turn. The shift has altered the once moderate character of the state GOP and has instead embraced more right-wing elements. [14] In 2021, the executive director of the Michigan GOP resigned after he declined to say that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump; delegates in the Michigan GOP had called for him to be fired for his remarks. [15] Increasing internal divisions within the Michigan Republican Party led to a violent physical brawl at a state committee meeting in 2023, during which one party activist allegedly kicked a committee member in the groin and broke his rib. [16]
On January 6, 2024, a group of Michigan Republican Party state committee members voted 40–5 to remove Kristina Karamo, using proxies set by District Chairs without the knowledge of the proxied members to attain quorum. The group of state committee members acknowledged Malinda Pego, who served as co-chair under Karamo, as Acting Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party until a vote for an official replacement is held. Meanwhile, Kristina Karamo repeatedly stated that she didn't recognize the vote and was therefore still chairwoman, as she claimed that the meeting was setup against the bylaws of the Michigan GOP. [17] [18] [19] Malinda Pego's faction responded with a 31-paged document arguing how the meeting to oust Karamo followed the state party's bylaws, therefore making the results legitimate and legal. [20]
On January 13, 2024, another group of Michigan Republican Party state committee members voted to reinstate Kristina Karamo as chair, as well as the removal of several nonsupporting party officials—including Malinda Pego—from the state party, [21] despite Karamo previously claiming that Pego had resigned. [19] That same day, 9 of 13 Michigan GOP Congressional district chairs, as well as 3 of 6 Michigan GOP vice chairs, released a statement acknowledging the ousting of Kristina Karamo the week prior. [22]
According to Malinda Pego, a state committee meeting to vote for a new chair was held on January 20, 2024. [23] Pete Hoekstra was elected as chairman during the vote. However, Karamo has insisted that she is still the legitimate chairperson. [24] The Karamo faction of the party controlled the state party's finances and infrastructure including the official MIGOP web site. [25] [26] The Hoekstra faction of the MIGOP set up its own infrastructure and official website. [27]
The RNC determined that Karamo was properly removed as MIGOP chair, but hadn't decided at that time if Hoekstra was the new chair. [28] Both Hoekstra and Karamo were invited to the Republican Party winter meeting in Las Vegas on January 30 but neither were credentialed as party chair. [29] The two rivals received guest credentials but were not given voting rights. [30] Former president Donald Trump sided with Hoekstra. [31] The RNC on February 14 recognized Hoekstra as the MIGOP chair. [32] The officially recognized Michigan Republican Party leadership uses a new website, as the prior website was under Karamo's control. [33] Circuit Court Judge Joseph Rossi ruled that Karamo was properly removed as MIGOP chair. [34]
Both of Michigan's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2001. Spencer Abraham was the last Republican to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate. First elected in 1994, Abraham lost re-election in 2000 to Democrat Debbie Stabenow who has held the seat since.
Out of the 13 seats Michigan is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 6 are held by Republicans:
District | Member | Photo |
---|---|---|
1st | Jack Bergman | |
2nd | John Moolenaar | |
4th | Bill Huizenga | |
5th | Tim Walberg | |
9th | Lisa McClain | |
10th | John James |
Michigan has not elected any GOP candidates to statewide office since 2014, when Rick Snyder, Brian Calley, Bill Schuette, and Ruth Johnson were re-elected as governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, respectively. In 2018, term limits prevented all four politicians from seeking third terms. Schuette ran as the Republican nominee in the 2018 gubernatorial election with Lisa Posthumus Lyons as his running mate and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challenger Gretchen Whitmer and running mate Garlin Gilchrist while Tom Leonard and Mary Treder Lang ran as the Republican nominees for Attorney General and Secretary of State and were subsequently defeated by Democratic challengers Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson.
The following are in order of presidential succession.
The Michigan Republican State Committee is the state central committee of the Michigan Republican Party. It is composed of seven members from each of Michigan's Congressional district Republican committees, the Chairman, Co-Chairman, the various Vice Chairmen of the Party, and the Secretary, Treasurer and General and Financial Counsels. It selects Michigan's two representatives to the Republican National Committee. Additionally, the Chairperson of each County Republican Party organization is a non-voting ex officio member of the State Committee.
Position | Name |
---|---|
Chair | Pete Hoekstra |
Co-Chair | Malinda Pego |
National Committeewoman | Kathy Berden |
National Committeeman | Dr. Rob Steele |
Administrative Vice-Chair | Ali Hossein |
Ethnic Vice-Chair | Bernadette Smith |
Coalitions Vice-Chair | Hassan Nehme |
Grassroots Vice-Chair | Marian Sheridan |
Outreach Vice-Chair | Rola Makki |
Youth Vice Chair | Rylee Linting |
First district | Second district | Third district | Fourth district | Fifth district |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jeff Lamb | Kurt Van Koevering | Kim Yob | Joan Jackson | Lutullus Penton |
Linda Birgel | Jack Holmes | Mandy Bolter | Florence "Bobbie" Connolly | Prudy Adam |
Beverly Bodem | Paul Leidig | Andrew Emmitt | Kim Emmons | Amy Carl |
John Haggard | Janice McCraner | Richard Houskamp | Maxine McClelland | David Krueger |
John Niemela | Juanita Pierman | Eileen McNeil | Steve Rudoni | Jeremy Clontz |
Mary Sears | Joan Runnels | William Womer | Eric St. Onge | Christine Young |
Anthony Stackpoole | Bob Springstead | Sharon Yentsch | Gerald Wall | Allen Pool |
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fundraising and election strategy. It does not have direct authority over elected officials. It is also responsible for organizing and running the Republican National Convention. When a Republican is president, the White House controls the committee. According to Boris Heersink, "political scientists have traditionally described the parties' national committees as inconsequential but impartial service providers."
Ronna Eileen Romney is an American Republican politician and former radio talk show host.
Jocelyn Benson is an American academic administrator, attorney, and politician serving as the 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School, a co-founder of the Military Spouses of Michigan, and a board member of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process.
The Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, also known as the Midwest Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, is a biennial United States Republican Party political conference held on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
Ronald N. Weiser is an American businessman and Republican Party donor and financier. Weiser founded a real estate company. He held fundraising roles for the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush and John McCain. He was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2009–2011, 2017–2019, and 2021–2023. He was U.S. ambassador to Slovakia durine Bush's first term (2001–2004), and was elected to the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan in 2016.
Laura Cox is an American politician from Michigan. Cox is a former Republican member of Michigan House of Representatives, and the former Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party.
Ronna Romney McDaniel is an American political strategist who served as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2017 until her resignation in 2024. A member of the Republican Party and the Romney family, McDaniel was chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017.
The 2017 Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairperson election was held in January 2017, to determine the next chairperson of the Republican National Committee. The elected chair will be in charge of the national party activities during their two-year term.
Robert Anthony Paduchik is an American political advisor who served as the co-chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2017 to 2019. He was also a senior advisor for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign. He was also the campaign's Ohio state director in 2016.
Matthew Maddock is an American politician in the Republican Party serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. His district, the 51st, represents areas covering part of Oakland County. In his first term, Maddock was appointed to be the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, as well as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. A Republican, Maddock was first elected in 2018. Prior to being elected to the 110-member Michigan House of Representatives, he was a businessman in Oakland County.
Beau M. LaFave is an American politician from Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives for District 108 from 2017 to 2022 and was a candidate for the Michigan Secretary of State election in 2022. He lost the Republican nomination to Kristina Karamo, who in turn lost the election to incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect a Class I member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. It will be held concurrently with the 2024 United States presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate, other elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Primary elections will take place on August 6, 2024.
The 2022 Michigan Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of the state of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel ran for re-election to a second term. She was first elected in 2018 with 49.0% of the vote.
The 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Secretary of State of Michigan. Incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson decisively won reelection to a second term, defeating far-right Republican Kristina Karamo by a 14 percentage point margin.
The 2023 Republican National Committee (RNC) chairmanship election was held on January 27, 2023, in the United States, to determine the next chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The 2024 Michigan Republican presidential primary and caucuses were held on February 27 and on March 2, 2024, respectively, as part of the Republican Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 55 delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention were allocated on a proportional and winner-take-most basis. The primary took place concurrently with its Democratic counterpart, and saw Trump defeat Haley in a 42-point landslide.
Kristina Karamo is an American politician and former poll watcher who served as the chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party from 2023 to 2024. Karamo was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election, losing to incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson. She is commonly seen as being far-right.
Martin Andrew McKissick is an American politician who has served as chair of the South Carolina Republican Party since 2017. In 2023 he was re-elected to his fourth term in the office. McKissick also served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee from 2023 to 2024, when he was replaced by Lara Trump.
Michael Whatley is an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina who has served as chair of the Republican National Committee since March 8, 2024. Before this, he was chair of the North Carolina Republican Party for five years, the last year of which he also served as the RNC's general counsel.
The 2024 Republican National Committee (RNC) special leadership elections were held on March 8, 2024 in Houston, Texas, to determine the next Chair, Co-Chair, and Chief Operating Officer of the Republican National Committee.