'Bitter disputes' and MAGA extremism are leaving the Michigan GOP 'starving for cash': report

The Michigan GOP has experienced a battle between traditional conservatives and far-right ultra-MAGA Republicans — and the latter have been prevailing. Going MAGA, however, has not served the Michigan GOP well: In 2022, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defeated far-right MAGA Republican challenger Tudor Dixon by 11 percent. And Democrats took over both branches of the Michigan State Legislature.

In an article published on August 29, the New York Times' Nick Corasaniti stresses that the Michigan GOP is "starving for cash." And he cites MAGA extremism as the cause.

Corasaniti explains, "This turmoil is one measure of the way Donald J. Trump's lies about the 2020 election have rippled through his party…. As the party looks toward the presidential election next year, the strains are glaring. Mr. Trump's election lies spread like wildfire in Michigan, breaking the state party into ardent believers and pragmatists wanting to move on. Bitter disputes, power struggles and contentious primaries followed, leaving the Michigan Republican Party a husk of itself."

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Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Michigan) is among the Republicans who is sounding the alarm about the Michigan GOP's fundraising crisis.

McClain told the Times, "It's not going real well, and all you have to do is look at the facts. The ability to raise money, we've got a lot of donors sitting on the sideline — that's not an opinion, that's a fact. It's just a plain fact. We have to fix that."

READ MORE: New leak paints 'alarming financial picture' of Michigan GOP: report

The New York Times' full report is available at this link (subscription required).