Michigan Republicans are gathering for their state convention Saturday in Grand Rapids — but also in Battle Creek and Houghton Lake, and potentially in Detroit, too.
A months-long Michigan Republican Party leadership battle has spilled into the party’s process of awarding its presidential delegates, with angry factions claiming they’ll hold congressional district-level meetings instead of attending the statewide event.
There is little drama about the end result: Former President Donald Trump is likely to pick up most, if not all, of the 39 delegates to the Republican National Convention that are at stake Saturday.
But the chaos engulfing the Republican Party this weekend in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states is a vivid window into what some strategists and party leaders warn could become a serious problem for the GOP if it’s not fixed ahead of November’s general election.
“Would it be great if there was a state party? Absolutely,” Michigan Republican strategist Stu Sandler quipped.
The dispute is centered on the state party’s decision to remove former chairwoman Kristina Karamo in January and replace her with Pete Hoekstra, a former ambassador and congressman.
Karamo – the failed Republican secretary of state nominee who has spent years parroting Trump’s election fraud falsehoods – had been elected to the post a year earlier as part of a grassroots takeover of the state GOP. But her tenure was mired in controversy, and it ended with the party facing financial turmoil and infighting, culminating in her January ouster.
Hoekstra was endorsed by Trump and recognized as the state party chair by the Republican National Committee. However, Karamo for weeks refused to step aside — arguing that the vote had…
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