KRISTINA KARAMO

JACKSON, MI — The Michigan Republican Party needs a lot: more voters, more money, less infighting. It’s an “emergency manager assignment,” said Lena Epstein, a candidate for Michigan GOP chair. Saturday in Jackson, seven candidates pitched their populist plans to prospective local delegates at a breakfast hosted by the local GOP. “There will be a significant change, regardless of what candidate wins,” Jackson County GOP chair Russ Jennings told MLive. Tuscola County chair Billy Putman wants to change MIGOP bylaws to make legislators more accountable to delegates.

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Matt DePerno, who lost a bid to unseat Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in November, to be the next state Republican Party chair. Perhaps most importantly, Matt knows that his number one job is uniting the party!” Trump wrote. The chair race will be decided during the Republican state convention scheduled for Feb. 17-18 in Lansing. After the Nov. 8 election, DePerno cited a lack of support from the party as a motivation to run for state Republican Party chair. In addition to the attorney general race, Democrats defeated the Republican candidates for governor and secretary of state.

The Republicans who lost their races for Michigan’s top three statewide offices after promoting falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election are not planning to go quietly.

The Republicans who lost their races for Michigan's top three statewide offices after promoting falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election are not planning to go quietly. Two of the candidates who denied President Joe Biden's victory in the state have announced plans to run for the position that leads the state GOP, while the third has said she is considering a challenge for the top post. Kristina Karamo, a community college professor who lost her race for secretary of state after mounting a campaign filled with election conspiracies, used the same kind of charged language she had throughout her campaign in announcing her intention to run for Michigan party chair.

Bad candidates cost the GOP key races and quite possibly the Senate. Here are the ones who hurt the party the most.

Kristina Karamo, who lost the Michigan Secretary of State race by more than 600,000 votes after staking her short political career on denying the legitimacy of the 2020 election, wants to lead the state Republican Party. She is the latest conservative to announce a run for Michigan GOP chair after Republicans were swept at the top of the ticket in the 2022 election, lost control of the state House and Senate and failed in key congressional races. Thousands of local delegates will vote at a state party convention in February 2023. Tudor Dixon, who lost the governor race this month by 470,000 votes, and former congressman Pete Hoekstra are considering bids. Tuscola County GOP chair Billy Putman has been running since August.

Nine days of early in-person voting is the biggest. It’s still unknown whether in-person early voting will be available by then. And she’s suggested people from multiple jurisdictions voting early in one place could cause chain-of-custody problems for voting equipment. Hundley said she is confident that Michigan’s elections leaders can implement early in-person voting, especially if they take cues from other states. He also noted early in-person voting will take pressure off absentee and same-day voting.

Michigan’s Board of Canvassers met Monday and certified the results of the November election, but it got contentious, and even police officers had to step in.

LANSING, MI — After a heated and momentarily chaotic meeting, a bipartisan Michigan board unanimously certified the state’s midterm election results. Michigan’s post-election atmosphere had not been as turbulent as 2020 until Monday, as losing candidates spread conspiracy theories to the Board of State Canvassers and testified — with no evidence — to widespread election fraud. Michigan law gives the canvassers a routine role of approving election results certified by the 83 counties. Canvassers voted 4-0 to certify the election results Monday. “That is not what the evidence says in any of those documents.”Police escort a man out of a Michigan Board of State Canvassers meeting in Lansing, Mich., on Nov. 28, 2022.

Michigan state law allows any person in line when polls close at 8 p.m. to register to vote and to cast a ballot.

It was the latest loss for GOP candidates who campaigned on former president Donald Trump’s false insistence the 2020 election was stolen.

Michigan saw record turnout for a midterm election this week, with control of the governor’s office and referendums on abortion and voting rights in the balance. Elections officials, government watchdog groups and other experts, however, said the election process was carried out according to state law. CLAIM: City officials in Ann Arbor were registering new voters and allowing them to vote long after the polls closed on Election Day.

The Michigan Republican party and failed GOP candidate for governor Tudor Dixon are pointing the finger at each other after a double-digit election loss at the top of the ticket.

Election deniers who backed Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election failed in some of their highest-profile races.

Benson defeated Kristina Karamo, an election denier who made a name for herself claiming without evidence she saw fraud in the 2020 election.

Incumbent Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has defeated Republican opponent Kristina Karamo in the general election, securing a second term in office, the AP projects.

Shares of Truth Social- SPAC drop after Trump's candidates underwhelm in midterm election

Michiganders continue to await final results for two top state races: Attorney General and Secretary of State. Both Benson and incumbent AG Dana Nessel continue to lead their respective races with more than 80% of votes counted. The incumbent secretary of state currently has 2.27 million votes in her column, accounting for 54.8% of the votes already counted. Challenger Kristina Karamo currently has 1.78 million votes for about 43% of the votes. The incumbent attorney general currently has 2.14 million votes or 52.1%, while DePerno has 1.87 million or 45.6% of the votes, with 83% of the votes counted, according to the AP.

Former President Donald Trump's chosen candidates did not fare as he had hoped in the 2022 midterm elections.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says she will remain in office for another four years, declaring victory just after 11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8. As of 11:23 p.m. the Associated Press reported Benson as leading with 53% of the vote to Republican opponent Kristina Karamo’s 44.8%. And tonight, democracy won here in Michigan,” Benson said in an emailed statement. She ran for Michigan SOS in 2010 and lost, then ran again in 2018 and won. More from MLiveMichigan 2022 election results: Governor, AG, SOS and ballot proposalsMichigan 2022 election results: U.S. HouseMichigan 2022 election results: State SenateMichigan 2022 election results: State House districts 1-55Michigan 2022 election results: State House districts 56-110

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has a comfortable lead so far over her Republican challenger Kristina Karamo as early race returns roll in for Michigan’s midterm election. RELATED: As election results roll in, here’s where Michigan’s midterms stand“Some jurisdictions may be done more quickly,” Benson told reporters last week. Benson, former dean of Wayne State University law school and a legal expert on voting rights, beat out Republican hopeful Mary Treder Lang for the role in 2018. She is Michigan’s first Democratic secretary of state since Richard Austin, who held the office from 1971 to 1995. More from MLiveMichigan 2022 election results: Governor, AG, SOS and ballot proposalsMichigan 2022 election results: U.S. HouseMichigan 2022 election results: State SenateMichigan 2022 election results: State House districts 1-55Michigan 2022 election results: State House districts 56-110

Republicans who backed Donald Trump’s failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election have lost key races to oversee elections in some competitive states.

The suit alleged massive voter fraud and asked the court to require Detroiters vote in person or get absentee ballots in person. Karamo also wanted Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey to stop accepting absentee ballots returned by mail and stop counting ballots in drop boxes. To rule in favor would “egregiously harm” eligible voters, Kenny wrote, noting absentee voting had been going for weeks, and around 60,000 ballots Detroit had already been returned. Flashback: Karamo lawyer’s shouting, probe of Detroit election advisor frustrates judgeLawyers, for example, had no evidence of people illegally “stuffing” ballot boxes, Kenny said. Read more from MLive:Judge notes confusion, lack of evidence in Karamo’s Detroit absentee ballot suitKaramo lawyer’s shouting, probe of Detroit election advisor frustrates judgeBenson sees ‘safe, secure, fair’ election with high turnout, typical speedPublic tests of Michigan voting machines fight election conspiracy theories

A judge has rejected a request by Republican Michigan secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo to disqualify mail-in ballots from Detroit in the Nov. 8 election.

The court's ruling is just latest embarrassing rebuke of Karamo’s baseless claims

The lawsuits coincide with a systemic effort by GOP leaders to persuade voters to cast ballots in person, not absentee.

Watch Flashpoint every Sunday at 10 a.m. on Local 4 News at Local 4+.

Voters in a number of states are being presented with a stark choice: Do they want someone who denies the legitimacy of the 2020 election to oversee voting in their state?

As arguments concluded in a lawsuit to stop Detroit absentee ballots just days before the midterm election, lawyers for the plaintiff – Republican Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo – had not proven the widespread voter fraud that prompted their action, a judge indicated. When Karamo attorney Alexandria Taylor claimed “observations by the plaintiffs” supersede testimony from Detroit elections officials that ballot drop boxes are securely monitored, Kenny stopped her. Detroit starts preprocessing absentee ballots Sunday morning. Karamo’s lawsuit was filed 13 days before the Nov. 8 election. Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey’s attorney David Fink argued Friday a decision upending absentee ballot procedures would “disenfranchise” more than 60,000 Detroiters who have already submitted ballots.

Last days into a tight race between Democrats and Republicans for control in Michigan has seen a push by both parties to gain favor among local Arab America

The suit, alleging massive voter fraud in Michigan’s largest city, seeks to require Detroiters vote in person or get absentee ballots in person. But Kenny pointed out Hartman’s solution – requiring Detroiters get absentee ballots in person – would exclude military. But Thomas testified that he knows of no Detroit absentee ballot this fall that was obtained without ID or signature verification. Detroiters have returned around 60,000 absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 election, city elections director Daniel Baxter said in court Thursday. “We’re concerned, since you filed this at the 11th hour, what’s happening with regards to this general election,” Kenny said.

The top race on the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan pits Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer against GOP challenger Tudor Dixon.

In just about every key state, they're running behind their fellow Republicans. That doesn't mean they can't win; it does suggest the effort to thwart them is making a difference.

The race for Michigan attorney general is as close as it can get, while the incumbent Michigan secretary of state continues to hold a lead in her race, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.

Attorneys representing Karamo filed suit last Thursday, alleging Detroit’s election practices will result in an “illegal election,” The Detroit News first reported. Against her suit’s own requests, Karamo insisted no absentee ballots of legal Detroit voters would be uncounted if her suit prevails. Attorney for Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, David Fink, has battled election conspiracy cases stemming from the 2020 election in the past. As of Monday, more than 1 million Michiganders have returned their absentee ballots, according to the United States Election Project. The Detroit Free Press reported last Thursday that more than 43,000 absentee ballots in Detroit have already been returned.

Gretchen Whitmer raised $4.8 million, while her Republican opponent Tudor Dixon wasn’t too far behind, having raised $4.4 million. Dixon spent nearly $2 million in funds, using some for her first broadcast advertising of the campaign. Total this cycle, Karamo’s campaign has raised more than $1.1 million and spent nearly a million of it. Democrats in the Senate reported bringing in roughly $1.7 million in the third quarter of the year. But, like both parties in the lower chamber, Senate Democrats also reported spending $4.3 million during that same time.

Here’s where you can find general election results for the Michigan Secretary of State between Jocelyn Benson and Kristina Karamo on Nov. 8, 2022.

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – Muskegon area voters have a lot to consider when they fill out their ballots on Nov. 8. There are also state and local ballot proposals dealing with such topics as abortion, lawmaker term limits, marijuana and local parks. Otherwise, voters can visit their local clerk, to apply for, receive and submit an absentee ballot until 4 p.m. Nov. 7. Muskegon County has a handy online tool that helps voters determine their polling place locations and view their ballots. Here’s a roundup of some of the contested races and ballot proposals, with links to MLive/Muskegon Chronicle coverage.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has a comfortable advantage to stay Michigan’s top election official, according to campaign finance disclosures released Friday and the latest polling. Benson raised just over $879,000 from mid-September through Oct. 23, according to her pre-election report, including an in-kind contribution of about $5,000. In total this election cycle, Benson has raised more than $5.1 million. Total this cycle, Karamo’s campaign has raised more than $1.1 million and spent nearly a million of it. The latest independent poll, conducted last week by Mitchell Research, gave Benson a 9-point lead with a 4.2-point margin of error.

The following op-ed was submitted by James Pocock, Major General, U.S. Army, Retired; Thomas N. Edmonds, Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force, Retired; Axe

Some of Michigan’s latest rules for election challengers are invalid, a state judge has ruled, forcing top election officials to scramble for revisions less than three weeks before a midterm election. Swartzle’s ruling means Benson and state elections director Jonathan Brater must revise the elections manual if they want to use it. Poll challengers are appointed by political parties to watch for wrongdoing, like whether a voter is registered or election workers are following the law. “This is an incredible victory for election integrity and the rule of law in Michigan,” Michigan Republican Party co-chair Ron Weiser said in a statement. One of those challengers, Braden Giacobazzi, was thrown out of Detroit’s absentee ballot counting center on election night.

Protestors hold signs at the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 10 before it was shutdown by Dearborn Police and Fire, to be reconvened later in the week. Photo: Dearborn.orgBy now, just about in everyone in Dearborn is aware of the book banning saga in the Dearborn Public Schools. On Monday and Thursday evenings the Dearborn School Board held open meetings where citizens were invited to express themselves on this topic. Those who oppose the inclusion of the books in question claim they object to sexually explicit materials in the school libraries. Republican candidates who are part of a machine that sought to ban Muslims from entering the United States suddenly stood with Muslim Americans at a Dearborn School Board meeting, all to push an anti-diversity agenda.

Corporate leaders have been quietly bankrolling Republican candidates running to be secretaries of state while denying the results of the 2020 election.

But after being a Detroit poll challenger in 2020, she has turned false claims of widespread election fraud into statewide candidacy. Karamo beat multiple local clerks and a state lawmaker at a Republican convention this spring, securing the party’s nomination for Michigan Secretary of State, the office that oversees elections. Karamo’s history and present of election criticismThe SOS’s top duty is overseeing elections and carrying out Michigan’s voting laws. That is where Karamo and Benson, who told MLive she has tried to “stand guard” over election denying, are deeply divided. “President Trump and I lost an election in 2020 because of a rigged election,” Marchant said at a Trump rally this past weekend.

Candidates who have to play to their party’s base during primaries or nominating conventions often shift toward the center when the time comes to seek support from a wider range of voters for the general election.

Michigan Democratic incumbents for two major statewide offices have growing leads over their Republican opponents, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.

Over half the statewide and federal GOP candidates in Michigan have perpetuated Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

Over half the statewide and federal GOP candidates in Michigan have perpetuated Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

State Republican Reps. Matt Maddock of Milford and Steve Carra of Three Rivers were also in attendance. Trump painted a portrait of a nation on the precipice of economic ruin and cultural desecration at the hands of Democrats. A Republican-led state Senate report also found “no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud.” Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes. “Gretchen Whitmer is out there saying that I’m going to be able to do something about that issue in this state,” Dixon said at the rally. Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon and Donald Trump Jr. speak to the press after a campaign event in Muskegon on Sept. 23, 2022.

Former President Donald Trump criticized the airline industry at a campaign rally for Republican candidates in Michigan.

WARREN, MI – Republican candidates for Michigan’s lesser-known but still critical executive offices, attorney general and secretary of state, framed their races as fights against “oppressive” and “authoritarian” Democratic rule. “What I see from the progressive, extreme policies of Joe Biden, Gretchen Whitmer and Dana Nessel is destroying this great state,” DePerno told the crowd. Murders are up 30% and aggravated assaults are up 24%, according to Michigan State Police’s latest annual report. Karamo has consistently pushed false stolen election claims, including that widespread ballot drop box fraud cost Trump Michigan. Karamo said she wants to clean up Michigan’s voter rolls, which have thousands of dead people on them.

Ex-President Donald Trump will visit Michigan in two weeks to rally with state-level candidates a month before the midterm election. Trump will speak in Warren on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., at Macomb County Community College, his group Save America announced. The former Republican president will rally with top Michigan GOP candidates like Tudor Dixon (governor), Matthew DePerno (attorney general) and Kristina Karamo (secretary of state). Trump was last in Michigan in April, when he rallied with DePerno, Karamo and others, including West Michigan congressional candidate John Gibbs. Before coming back to Michigan, Trump currently has rallies scheduled to help candidates in Ohio on Saturday and North Carolina next Friday.

His political action committee, Save America PAC, has donated to state lawmakers, statewide candidates and congressional hopefuls. His PAC’s largest donation – a whopping $150,000 – went not to a candidate but to a ballot initiative: Secure MI Vote. Catch up: Michigan voter ID initiative submits 500k signatures too late for electionSave America PAC donated $150,000 on June 27, according to public records. ABC News was first to report on the Secure MI Vote contribution. But Michigan law allows the bureau to wait until 2024, the next statewide general election year.

Four Republicans who have promoted false claims about the 2020 presidential election and are seeking to overhaul how elections are run by becoming their state’s chief election official say they are fighting against a corrupt system.

Four Republicans seeking to overhaul how elections are run by becoming their state’s chief election official said Saturday they were fighting against a corrupt system — even pointing a finger at mysterious forces within their own party. The candidates -- Arizona’s Mark Finchem, Michigan’s Kristina Karamo, Nevada’s Jim Marchant and New Mexico’s Audrey Trujillo -- appeared at a conference inside a South Florida hotel ballroom that featured numerous speakers falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. “Our biggest enemy is our own party,” said Marchant, a businessman and former state lawmaker who was among Trump’s most ardent supporters challenging President Joe Biden's 2020 win in Nevada.

An Associated Press review has found that nearly 1 in 3 Republican candidates for statewide offices that play a role in overseeing, certifying or defending elections supported overturning the 2020 presidential election.

Democratic incumbents for the offices of Michigan Attorney General and Michigan Secretary of State continue to hold leads against their Republican opponents, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.

Another time, she tried to take control of the car her ex-husband was driving and crash it with their two kids in the backseat, court records show.

Kristina Karamo is running to become Michigan's top election official. Donald Trump, who endorsed her, has falsely alleged ballot fraud in that state.

File photoIn the race for governor, Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer appears to be well ahead of her Republican opponent — by double digits in fact. Whitmer got 94 percent of Democratic voters, 50 percent to 22 percent of Independent voters, including 62 percent of Independent women, while Dixon got 83 percent of GOP voters. Also, abortion is the top issue of concern in the poll at 19 percent, which shows the impact of that issue. EPIC-MRA notes that it is significant that 1 in 4 pro-life voters are supporting the abortion ballot proposal. In that poll, Whitmer merely had a 5-point lead among likely voters, with 51 percent backing Whitmer and 46 percent backing Dixon.

Court filings have emerged in which Michigan’s Republican nominee for secretary of state Kristina Karamo’s ex-husband alleged she tried to crash a moving car with her children inside. Kristina Karamo has not responded to the allegations and attempts to reach her through her campaign have not been returned. A spokesperson for the Michigan Republican Party declined to comment. MLive has not been able to confirm if Kristina Karamo sought treatment. Still, Adom Karamo didn’t think the past behavior reflects Kristina Karamo now.

I am a former Republican state representative, and I am distraught by what has happened to my party

LANSING, MI — Broadening parental rights in education and rolling back regulations on businesses appear to be the major issues of the Tudor Dixon-Shane Hernandez gubernatorial ticket, the certainty of which was established early Saturday, Aug. 27. “The state of Michigan will be the number one state in the country,” she said. It was also the first time Hernandez delivered remarks as the Republican Party’s lieutenant governor candidate. I cannot wait Jocelyn, because you are a habitual liar. Dixon introduced Youngkin as someone who used education issues to pave the way to the governor’s office.

Michigan Republicans confirmed Karamo, an educator from Oak Park, as the party’s secretary of state nominee. A voice vote by county GOP delegates at Saturday’s nominating convention solidified Karamo after she was endorsed in an April convention. Karamo, like the other top-of-ticket Michigan Republicans, is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Michigan Republicans held a convention in April – with different county delegates – to endorse candidates like Karamo and attorney general nominee Matthew DePerno. In Michigan, candidates for these offices are chosen by party delegates instead of by voters in the primary election.

It's about abortion rights, stupid

The Michigan Republican Party has devolved into conspiracies

The Washington Post Exclusive Election deniers march toward power in key 2024 battlegrounds GOP nominees who dispute the 2020 results could be positioned to play a critical role in the next presidential election Republicans running for state and federal office have repeatedly echoed former president Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election. GOP nominees in the 2020 presidential battlegrounds Among winning candidates for positions that have a role in the election certification process, 54 of 87 candidates are election deniers. Candidates who have questioned the 2020 election result* Offices with a role in state-level certification Secretary of State Attorney General U.S. GOP nominees in the 2020 presidential battlegrounds Among winning candidates for positions that have a role in the election certification process, 54 of 87 candidates are election deniers. Since Donald Trump first suggested the 2020 election might be stolen, Republicans have latched onto the claim.

Michigan Republicans are meeting to pick candidates for statewide races that former President Donald Trump has sought to sway while flirting with another run for the White House.

A new poll offers some insight on where Michigan voters stand in the state’s upcoming election for secretary of state.