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After RGA Loses “Dream Candidate” Candice Miller, Michigan GOP Free Falls Into Chaos
Since Michigan Republicans lost their top recruit for governor in 2022, the party has been in a constant state of chaos. Today, current MI GOP Chair Laura Cox accused her would-be successor Ronald Weiser of bribing a Macomb County politician $200,000 to stay out of the 2018 Secretary of State race. Weiser was supposed to be appointed party chair this past Saturday, but Cox is now refusing to step down and calling on members to re-elect her.
The MI GOP has been flailing ever since “dream candidate” Candice Miller announced she wouldn’t be running for Governor – “a big disappointment for party leadership.” The GOP race is now wide open, with the void being filled by far-right extremists. So far, the announced candidates are Allendale Township official Ryan Kelley, who is facing calls for removal from his position after he was spotted at the U.S. Capitol insurrection, and Austin Chenge, who was with Kelley in supporting the violent mob at the Capitol.
Kelley and Chenge’s candicacy is a growing sign that the Michigan GOP is going to have an extremism problem on their hands, as more and more of their members are caught cozying up to far-right groups.
One of the more prominent faces of the MI GOP, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, has also been under fire for his ties to extremist groups. Shirkey held a meeting with militia groups in his office last summer during the armed protests at the Michigan statehouse, which are now being seen as a “dress rehearsal” for the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol. Shirkey also has ties to the group that plotted to kidnap the Governor, appearing on stage with one of the militia members at a rally.
“The RGA’s big recruitment fail has left the Michigan GOP in a frenzy,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Christina Amestoy. “They’ve got a bleak crop of candidates for Governor who all openly embrace extremism, and if the allegations against Weiser are true, the party has an ethics problem as well. The MI GOP is not off to a great start for 2022.”