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MICHIGAN GOP

Convention chaos: Snubbed Michigan county GOP chair leads swap of Macomb delegates

LANSING, MI – The Michigan Republican convention started in chaos Saturday as Mark Forton, the formerly recognized chair of the Macomb County GOP, brought a local fight to a statewide stage. Catch up: Rejected county chair wants delegate fight at Michigan GOP conventionThe Michigan GOP and co-chair Ron Weiser recognized the opposing slate of Macomb delegates for Saturday’s convention, who were led by Eric Castiglia. Macomb County, north of Detroit, is Michigan’s third largest county. Read more from MLive:Rejected county chair wants delegate fight at Michigan GOP conventionThe GOP splintered in 2 Michigan counties. Michigan GOP sides with disavowed Hillsdale delegates for state conventionWhat’s really at stake in Michigan’s governor debate date disagreements?

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Michigan GOP chair calls top Democratic women ‘witches,’ mentions assassination

LANSING, Mich. – The leader of Michigan's Republican Party referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and two other top Democratic elected woman as “witches" that the GOP wants to “soften up” for a “burning at the stake” in the 2022 election. He also joked about assassination when he was asked how to remove two GOP congressmen, Reps. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. Someone asked Weiser about “witches in our own party.”He said: "Ma’am, other than assassination, I have no other way other than voting out. Weiser, a major Republican donor, personally gave money to both Upton, a longtime congressman, and Meijer — now a freshman representative — in 2020.

In video, Michigan GOP Leader falsely claims Capitol riot was hoax, staged

(AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)DETROIT – Michigan’s top Republican called the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, which resulted in five deaths including a Capitol police officer, a hoax, in a video posted to YouTube last week. Michigan GOP Senate Leader Mike Shirkey appears in a video posted on Feb. 3 by the “R.O.A.R. The video appears to show Shirkey meeting with Hillsdale County Republican Party officials, one day before the county voted to censure Shirkey. The reported video comes right after the New York Times published an article detailing Shirkey’s involvement with Michigan militias, who held armed protests at the Michigan Capitol last year over COVID-19 restrictions. For all these reasons, Mike Shirkey should be out.

NYT details Michigan GOP’s involvement with militia groups, empathy for insurrectionists

(AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)DETROIT – A New York Times article published Tuesday details Michigan GOP leader Mike Shirkey’s involvement with militia groups and his empathy for insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol. Allied Itself With Militants,” offers an inside look at how involved Michigan GOP leaders were in coordinating with militia groups through various protests in 2020, leading up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol in January. Next time tell them not to bring guns,” complained Mike Shirkey, the State Senate majority leader, according to one of the protest organizers. AdThe NYT also reports that Shirkey held a meeting with militia groups in his office to establish a “code of conduct.”“Do you tell your people to make sure that there’s not a live round in a chamber? You can read the full, in-depth New York Times article right here.

Michigan AG to GOP on voter fraud evidence: ‘Put up or shut up’

DETROIT – One day after Rudy Giuliani and several witnesses pushed voter fraud conspiracy theories before the Michigan House Oversight Committee, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says it’s time to “put up or shut up” in regards to offering actual evidence. Despite Republicans’ questioning of vote counting in the city, there is no evidence to show such a discrepancy. Michigan’s Attorney General, who has noted the fact that no evidence has been submitted to law enforcement to support any voter fraud claims, again called for Republicans to deliver the evidence -- or to stop making claims. — Dana Nessel (@dananessel) December 3, 2020In November, AG Nessel, responding to a wild claim by former state senator Patrick Colbeck, said Colbeck never filed any complaint of election fraud, despite claiming to have evidence. AG Barr: No evidence of voter fraud that’d change election outcome

Michigan GOP lawmakers propose new COVID-19 response plan

Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 emergency orders struck down by the Michigan Supreme Court, GOP lawmakers are stepping in and offering their own potential response plan. Much like Whitmer’s response, lawmakers say theirs also relies on data -- but there is one key difference. The lawmakers suggest changing the COVID-19 response plans from what they believe to be a “one size fits all” model, and instead are using specific data to address the virus county by county. We used public health experts and doctors to formulate a plan that works for Michigan,” said Rep. Greg VanWoerkom (MI-91). Under the new plan, officials say local residents and small businesses would have more of a say in what’s being done to address COVID-19 in their area.

Peter Meijer wins 2020 Republican Primary for Michigan US House District 3

Republican Peter Meijer has won the 2020 Republican primary election for U.S. House Michigan District 3. Meijer defeated Joe Farrington, Emily Rafi, Tom Norton, and Lynn Afendoulis in Tuesdays election. Meijer, who describes himself a son of West Michigan and a veteran of the war in Iraq, will now go up against Democrat Hillary Scholten in November. Scholten ran unopposed in the Aug. 4 primary. Related: Latest Election news