Even though the Michigan Republican Party has historically been characterized by conservatism, the party took a hard-right turn after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016.[4][5][6][7] After the 2020 United States elections, the Michigan Republican Party pushed false claims of fraud and sought to overturn the election results.[8][9][10] A months-long Republican investigation found there was no evidence of widespread fraud and recommended for the attorney general to investigate some who had made such allegations for personal gain.[11]
In 2023 and as a result of the 2022 elections, the party had no substantial political power in the state. The Republican Party had minorities in both chambers of the state legislature and its U.S. House delegation, as well as neither of the state's U.S. Senate seats, and no statewide executive offices. Starting in January 2025, the Republican Party will have a 58-52 vote power majority within the Michigan House of Representatives[12] and gained a Congressional seat to receive a majority in the U.S. House delegation.[13]
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Michigan and Donald Trump refused to concede, the Michigan Republican Party pushed false claims of fraud and sought to overturn the election results.[8][9][10] In January 2021, the Michigan Republican Party sought to replace GOP member Aaron Van Langevelde on the Michigan Board of Canvassers; he had previously voted to certify the Michigan election results in favor of Biden.[15] One of the candidates that the Michigan Republican Party sought to nominate to that position was Linda Lee Tarver, who had been involved in efforts to overturn the election results.[15]
According to the Associated Press, since Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election and Michigan swinging back to the Democrats, the Michigan GOP have taken a hard right-wing turn. The shift has altered the once moderate character of the state GOP and has instead embraced more right-wing elements.[16] In 2021, the executive director of the Michigan GOP resigned after he declined to say that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump; delegates in the Michigan GOP had called for him to be fired for his remarks.[17] Increasing internal divisions within the Michigan Republican Party led to a violent physical brawl at a state committee meeting in 2023, during which one party activist allegedly kicked a committee member in the groin and broke his rib.[18]
On January 6, 2024, a group of Michigan Republican Party state committee members voted 40–5 to remove Kristina Karamo, using proxies set by District Chairs without the knowledge of the proxied members to attain quorum. The group of state committee members acknowledged Malinda Pego, who served as co-chair under Karamo, as Acting Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party until a vote for an official replacement is held. Meanwhile, Kristina Karamo repeatedly stated that she didn't recognize the vote and was therefore still chairwoman, as she claimed that the meeting was setup against the bylaws of the Michigan GOP.[19][20][21] Malinda Pego's faction responded with a 31-paged document arguing how the meeting to oust Karamo followed the state party's bylaws, therefore making the results legitimate and legal.[22]
On January 13, 2024, another group of Michigan Republican Party state committee members voted to reinstate Kristina Karamo as chair, as well as the removal of several nonsupporting party officials—including Malinda Pego—from the state party,[23] despite Karamo previously claiming that Pego had resigned.[21] That same day, 9 of 13 Michigan GOP Congressional district chairs, as well as 3 of 6 Michigan GOP vice chairs, released a statement acknowledging the ousting of Kristina Karamo the week prior.[24]
According to Malinda Pego, a state committee meeting to vote for a new chair was held on January 20, 2024.[25]Pete Hoekstra was elected as chairman during the vote. However, Karamo has insisted that she is still the legitimate chairperson.[26] The Karamo faction of the party controlled the state party's finances and infrastructure including the official MIGOP web site.[27][28] The Hoekstra faction of the MIGOP set up its own infrastructure and official website.[29]
The RNC determined that Karamo was properly removed as MIGOP chair, but hadn't decided at that time if Hoekstra was the new chair.[30] Both Hoekstra and Karamo were invited to the Republican Party winter meeting in Las Vegas on January 30 but neither were credentialed as party chair.[31] The two rivals received guest credentials but were not given voting rights.[32] Former president Donald Trump sided with Hoekstra.[33] The RNC on February 14 recognized Hoekstra as the MIGOP chair.[34]
The officially recognized Michigan Republican Party leadership uses a new website, as the prior website was under Karamo's control.[35] Circuit Court Judge Joseph Rossi ruled that Karamo was properly removed as MIGOP chair.[36] Karamo has filed an appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals.[37]
The divisions persisted at the state party's political convention held August 24, 2024 in Flint to choose nominees for the state supreme court, university presidents and the state board of education. Karamo was ejected from the convention.[38]
Both of Michigan's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2001. Spencer Abraham was the last Republican to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate. First elected in 1994, Abraham lost re-election in 2000 to Democrat Debbie Stabenow who has held the seat since.
Michigan has not elected any GOP candidates to statewide office since 2014, when Rick Snyder, Brian Calley, Bill Schuette, and Ruth Johnson were re-elected as governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, respectively. In 2018, term limits prevented all four politicians from seeking third terms. Schuette ran as the Republican nominee in the 2018 gubernatorial election with Lisa Posthumus Lyons as his running mate and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challenger Gretchen Whitmer and running mate Garlin Gilchrist while Tom Leonard and Mary Treder Lang ran as the Republican nominees for Attorney General and Secretary of State and were subsequently defeated by Democratic challengers Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson.
The Michigan Republican State Committee is the state central committee of the Michigan Republican Party. It is composed of seven members from each of Michigan's Congressional district Republican committees, the Chairman, Co-Chairman, the various Vice Chairmen of the Party, and the Secretary, Treasurer and General and Financial Counsels. It selects Michigan's two representatives to the Republican National Committee. Additionally, the Chairperson of each County Republican Party organization is a non-voting ex officio member of the State Committee.
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