One of the most fascinating ongoing stories in Michigan right now is the epic dysfunction of the state Republican Party.
This is not a partisan opinion. It is objectively a hot mess – contested leadership, threats of legal action, a lack of funding and next to no infrastructure for supporting Republican candidates in a presidential election year.
The most recent story by MLive senior political reporter Simon Schuster detailing the morass used words like, “schism,” “factions,” “infighting” and “saboteurs.” In a chat with him this week, I noted that the only words missing were “junta” and “tribunal.”
“Yeah, and I haven’t used the word ‘coup’ yet, either,” he quipped.
“I would say this is historically unprecedented in the modern era,” Schuster said. “The Republican Party in Michigan had a reputation nationally for being one of the stalwart Republican parties.”
It’s been anything but since a Democratic sweep of the top races on the 2020 ballot – amid election-rigging conspiracies from some Republicans – left the state GOP reeling.
One of the most vocal election deniers, Kristina Karamo, lost a bid in 2022 for secretary of state. She not only never conceded her loss, but in February was rewarded by being elected chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
In addition to a raft of conspiracy theories that extend beyond election integrity, Karamo espouses ideologies that transcend loyalty to Trump or the electability of candidates.
“She is a populist – she's very anti-elite and she doesn't want a closed-off Republican Party where there's a small number of really deep-pocketed folks who get to have an outsized say,” Schuster said.
The problem for the Karamo regime is that’s how Michigan’s Republican Party has operated for decades. Schuster notes that since she assumed control she has been ineffective at organizing the party and fund-raising. He reported last month that a report alleged the state GOP was on the brink of bankruptcy and broke campaign finance laws.
The existence of the report itself is an exhibit in the dysfunction, and a vivid signal to Karamo that “the elites” aren’t going away. It was commissioned by a Republican activist and donor who once backed Karamo but now is one of her leading critics.
There are pressing practical considerations that transcend dogma. Schuster notes the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting is less than two weeks off and its credentialing committee needs to recognize a state party chair from Michigan.
At the moment there are two: Karamo, and her once co-chair, Malinda Pego, who was elected Jan. 6 by a breakaway faction of the state GOP committee after it voted to remove Karamo. Each group has declared its legitimacy while disavowing the other.
If it sounds confusing, that’s because disarray usually is not tidy or sensible. The repercussions are that cash – from the Republican National Committee and “dark money” donors for issue ads – and campaign support for Republican candidates statewide are at risk.
“We saw (the RNC) funnel close to $6 million for presidential mail in 2020 through the state party and right now none of that is there,” Schuster said. “There's no infrastructure, there's no organization and obviously there's no unity.”
That suggests an advantage for Michigan Democrats, who Schuster notes are stable, well-funded and have a much better established “get-out-the-vote” strategy. The one wild card, of course, is the name at the top of the GOP ballot this November.
Presumptive presidential candidate Donald Trump has large coattails that could mitigate the damage to Republican candidates from the chaos at the top of the state party. Just don’t expect the former president to wade in to settle it, Schuster said.
“Trump doesn’t seem interested in picking a side. Trump likes winners, and I don’t think there are any.”
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