Michigan Republicans have voted to remove state GOP Chairwoman Kristina Karamo during a meeting Saturday after many of the party’s leaders called for her resignation following a year of leadership plagued by debt and infighting.
Quick Read
- Removal of GOP Chairwoman: Michigan Republicans voted to remove state GOP Chairwoman Kristina Karamo following a year marked by debt and internal disputes.
- Karamo’s Refusal to Recognize Vote: Karamo did not attend the meeting and has stated she will not recognize the vote, claiming the meeting was not official and was organized illegally, potentially leading to a court battle.
- Context of Internal Dispute: The party is looking to recover from historic losses in the 2022 midterms and aims to make gains in the upcoming U.S. Senate race and the 2024 presidential election.
- Far-Right Leadership Challenges: Michigan joins other swing states like Georgia and Arizona, where far-right leadership within the GOP has led to internal conflicts and financial issues.
- Karamo’s Background and Election Conspiracy Promotion: Karamo, a former community college instructor, gained prominence in the party by promoting election conspiracies after the 2020 presidential election and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump for her 2022 secretary of state run.
- Supporters and Opponents: Karamo’s supporters gathered at the meeting location, while some committee members expressed dissatisfaction with her leadership.
- Leadership Election and Financial Issues: Karamo was elected to lead the state party through the 2024 elections but faced calls to resign due to financial instability and poor fundraising.
- Petition for Removal: A petition seeking a vote on Karamo’s removal was signed by state committee members, including her co-chair Malinda Pego, and eight out of 13 congressional district chairs.
- Karamo’s Stance on Resignation: Despite the turmoil and calls for resignation, Karamo has refused to step down, labeling the meeting to oust her as illegal.
- Party’s Financial Struggles: The Michigan GOP is facing significant debt and is involved in a lawsuit related to their headquarters, with hopes of selling the building to pay off debts.
- Upcoming 2024 Election Challenges: The party faces the challenge of impacting the 2024 election amid these internal disputes and financial issues.
- Michigan GOP’s 2024 Goals: The party aims to win a Senate seat in November, a feat not achieved since 1994, and to gain a majority in the Michigan House.
The Associated Press has the story:
Michigan Republicans vote to remove controversial chair Kristina Karamo
Newslooks- LANSING, Mich. (AP) —
Michigan Republicans have voted to remove state GOP Chairwoman Kristina Karamo during a meeting Saturday after many of the party’s leaders called for her resignation following a year of leadership plagued by debt and infighting.
A large majority of those present voted to oust Karamo, said Bree Moeggenberg, District 2 State Committeewoman.
Karamo did not attend the meeting and has made it clear she will not recognize the vote if removed, claiming the meeting was not official and had been illegally organized. The unfolding situation could set the stage for a court fight to determine control of the highest position within the Michigan GOP.
The internal dispute takes place as Michigan Republicans look to rebound from 2022 midterms in which they suffered historic losses. The party is aiming this year to flip an open U.S. Senate seat while also helping the Republican presidential nominee win the battleground state.
Michigan is among several swing states where parties overtaken by far-right leadership have struggled to overcome infighting and money issues. Similar situations have unfolded in Georgia and Arizona, which pose a significant issue in the 2024 presidential election where those states are poised to play pivotal roles.
Karamo, a former community college instructor, rose through Michigan’s Republican ranks by spreading election conspiracies after the 2020 presidential election. She eventually was backed by former President Donald Trump in her run for secretary of state in 2022, losing by 14 percentage points in a result that she still refuses to concede.
About a dozen supporters of Karamo gathered Saturday afternoon outside the small indoor gun-range building in Commerce Township where the meeting was being held.
State GOP Committee member on policy Barry Doherty of Brandon Township said security would not allow him to enter the meeting. Prior to the vote, Doherty said the gathering was not an officially called meeting of the state Republican Party and any actions taken would not be official.
“We’re here to let people know — other state committee members know — that next week is the meeting that is official that business is conducted and they can bring their grievances to that meeting,” Doherty said.
Doherty said that he and others support Karamo and her stance on election integrity and other issues. “I’m concerned that the people on the inside don’t see that and that good progress that is happening,” he said.
Doherty said some attending Saturday’s meeting are “state committee members and guests.”
“There are other state committee members who are not pleased with Kristina,” he added.
In February, Karamo was elected by grassroots activists alongside her co-chair, Malinda Pego, to lead the state party through the 2024 elections. Less than a year later, Pego has signed onto a petition seeking a vote on removing Karamo.
Eight of the state party’s 13 congressional district chairs called on Karamo to resign last week, citing financial instability stemming from insufficient fundraising and asking Karamo to “put an end to the chaos in our party” by stepping down.
Karamo has refused to resign and promised not to leave if ousted at the meeting, calling the gathering “illegal” in a recent podcast posted on the Michigan GOP website. It’s unclear whether enough party members attended for the Saturday afternoon gathering to be official.
Karamo did not respond to multiple requests for comment by The Associated Press.
Party members formally began pursuing Karamo’s removal in early December, obtaining 39 state committee members’ signatures on a petition calling for a special meeting to consider the change.
To oust Karamo, opponents would need to submit signatures on Saturday from at least half of the state party’s nearly 100 committee members. The approval of 75% of attending state committee members would then be required, though a proposed amendment passed Saturday to lower the threshold to 60%, said Moeggenberg, who added that it wasn’t needed.
The state party still will need to make significant strides quickly if it hopes to affect the 2024 election.
The party, according to Karamo, had nearly $500,000 in debt as of October, with another $110,000 owed to actor Jim Caviezel for a speaking appearance. Karamo and the party are suing the trust that owns their headquarters with hopes of selling the building to pay off debts.
The turmoil comes less than two months before the state party will host a March 2 convention to divvy up 39 of the state’s 55 Republican presidential delegates. The other 16 delegates will be allocated based on the results of the Feb. 27 Republican primary.
Republicans are seeking to win a Senate seat in the state in November, a feat they haven’t achieved since 1994. The party also is looking to flip a narrow majority in the Michigan House after Democrats in 2022 won control of the state House and Senate, while retaining the governor’s office, for the first time in 40 years.
