Michigan GOP mired in 'chaos' as 'two warring factions' battle for control

26 February 2024

This Tuesday, February 27, Michigan will hold its GOP and Democratic presidential primaries.

President Joe Biden, supported by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is almost certain to win the Democratic primary. And unless former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley somehow manages to pull off a shocking upset in Michigan, former President Donald Trump is likely to prevail on the GOP side.

Journalist Alice Herman, in an article published by The Guardian on February 26, reports that the primaries come at a time when the Michigan Republican Party is mired in "chaos."

"Trump is expected to beat Haley definitively in Tuesday's primary," Herman explains. "The primary margins and turnout will be telling, however — especially in traditionally Republican areas that have shifted away from the GOP during the Trump era, like parts of western Michigan and Detroit's more upscale suburbs."

Herman continues, "But the real chaos isn't for the primary — it's for the state convention that is scheduled a few days later. Or, to be more precise, the state party conventions: right now, two warring factions have scheduled their own meetings, and it's not totally clear which meeting's delegates will count towards the presidential nomination."

Herman notes that the winner of Michigan's GOP presidential primary on February 27 will pick up "only 30 percent of the state's delegates." And the other 70 percent will be chosen at the Michigan Republican Convention on Saturday, March 2.

"In early January, a group of party activists held an election to oust former the Michigan GOP chairwoman, Kristina Karamo, accusing the fervent conspiracy theorist of mismanaging the state party’s finances," Herman explains. "They later voted to replace her with Pete Hoekstra, a former congressman and Trump's former U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands. On 14 February, the Republican National Committee declared their support for Hoekstra, recognizing him as the official state party chair."

Herman adds, "Karamo has continued to claim she's the rightful chair of the party in spite of what the RNC says, and is forging ahead with her own plans for a party convention on Saturday near Detroit even as Hoekstra plans one in Grand Rapids, a few hours away."

Read The Guardian's full report at this link.

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