'Not viable': Senate GOP operation frets over wealthy anti-Trump Republican’s Senate run
Former Congressman Peter Meijer (R-Michigan) – the scion of the popular Midwestern grocery store chain of the same name — is now running for Michigan's open US Senate seat next year, much to the chagrin of Senate Republicans' main campaign arm.
Following Meijer's announcement, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) executive director Jason Thielman lamented to Politico that Meijer's campaign could hinder the GOP's efforts to retake the US Senate in 2024.
"Peter Meijer isn’t viable in a primary election, and there’s worry that if Meijer were nominated, the base would not be enthused in the general election," Thielman said.
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With Meijer's entry into the increasingly crowded primary field, he threatens to divide the anti-Trump vote between himself and former Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), who has criticized Trump in the past and left Congress before Trump ascended to the White House. Meanwhile, James Craig — a former Detroit police chief — is likely to win Trump's endorsement, as he's running on a far-right platform that emphasizes Trump priorities like "America First Foreign Policy" and border security (illegal immigration on the Michigan-Canada border is overwhelmingly from Americans).
The Meijer family's vast wealth could potentially give the former Congressman an early advantage, as Peter's father, Hank controls a $16.5 billion fortune in conjunction with his brother, Doug. Forbes ranked the Meijer family at #42 in its 2021 Forbes 400, and #106 on its billionaires list in 2022. Should the Meijer wealthy family fund a super PAC to bolster their relative's campaign, it could give him a significant financial advantage over the rest of his competition.
Peter Meijer served only one term in Congress after being elected in 2020. Shortly after taking office on January 3, 2021, he was one of just a small handful of Republicans who voted to impeach then-president Donald Trump less than two weeks later following the January 6 insurrection. In August of 2022, Meijer lost the Republican primary in his western Michigan district to Trump-endorsed John Gibbs. Three months later, Gibbs would go on to lose the general election to Democrat Harry Scholten.
Longtime Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) announced her retirement in January, making next year's election in the Mitten State a wide-open contest. Michigan's status as a Democratic trifecta state where Republicans haven't won a US Senate election since 1994 renders the state a long-shot target for Republicans in 2024.
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