'At war with itself': Analysis reveals why Michigan GOP’s dysfunction is only getting worse

On Saturday, January 6, members of the Michigan Republican Party voted to oust far-right conspiracy theorist Kristina Karamo as chair. Karamo, in response, has refused to accept the decision gracefully and is acting like she still holds that position.

In an opinion column published on January 8, MSNBC's Steve Benen points to Karamo's antics as a prime example of the dysfunction and chaos that has been plaguing the Michigan GOP in a crucial "battleground state."

"In theory, the outcome of Saturday's vote created a vacancy at the top of the state GOP," Benen explains. "In practice, Karamo said she doesn't consider Saturday's vote to be legitimate, and as such, she still believes she's the chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Messy litigation now appears inevitable."

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Karamo, Benen notes, was the Republican nominee for Michigan secretary of state in 2022 — a race she lost by 14 percent only for the Michigan GOP to later make her chair.

"The Michigan GOP spent 2023 struggling badly to raise money, and party insiders deemed insufficiently right-wing were reportedly pushed out by the state party's far-right leadership," Benen observes. "Complicating matters, there were a couple of incidents involving physical altercations at Michigan Republican Party events in 2023, reinforcing impressions that the state GOP was effectively at war with itself…. Democrats in the Wolverine State have reason to be pleased.

READ MORE: 'Put an end to the chaos': GOP leaders in swing state say party is 'on the verge of imploding'

Steve Benen's full MSNBC column is available at this link.