LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Now that Michigan has become a “blue state” with a Democrat Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State along with the Legislature and Supreme Court being majority Democrat, Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) is working together with other Republicans who have formed a PAC called the “Grand New Party.”

Carra, the Chairman of the Committee, announced the PAC in a press conference on Monday along with Executive Director Shane Trejo, Angela Rigas of Alto and Neil Friske of Charlevoix, Republicans who won seats in the Michigan House.

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Trejo said the group will help “America First” candidates in their local and legislative races so they won’t have to depend as heavily on more established fundraising sources. Rigas’ website in her run for State Rep. in the 79th District had a Trump endorsement on the home page of her campaign site that says, “Angela stood toe to toe in court against Michigan’s disgraced shutdown Governor Gretchen Whitmer and crazed Attorney General Dana Nessel. She’s not afraid to fight and not afraid to lead. That’s exactly what Michigan needs right now.”

The committee, which was formed on October 14th, is called the GNP PAC in their filing and it lists the committee’s address as being out of Grand Rapids. The committee has a website where people can sign up to be notified of their news and also a donation link.

In the press conference, Trejo said that the PAC would be concentrating on transparency, energy independence, affirming “election integrity” and ending corporate welfare. Carra said the PAC will support candidates for state House, county commission seats and school board positions to “restore the Republican Party to what it’s supposed to be.”

Executive Director Trejo is currently listed as a party official as the chair of the Michigan 11th District Republican Committee on the Michigan Republican Party’s website. It is a volunteer-elected leadership position but he will not be running for re-election and will be leaving in February of 2023.

Carra said at the press conference that the old party is “stale” and “too passive.” He also called them “timid,” “milquetoast” and also “too moderate” in their strategy against Whitmer. He would have preferred a strategy like Republican Governor Ron DeSantis who stood up for the principles of the party doing things like signing a bill barring teaching on sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade.

Carra believes if the party donors had gotten behind Republican Attorney General candidate Matt DePerno and Republican Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo, the GOP would have kept their majority in the state house.

The PAC hopes to raise between $250K and $500K for the 2024 election cycle. Trejo said that the money from traditional Republican fundraising organizations is often “held over the heads of candidates to compel them to follow an agenda that’s not what their constituents want but what the special interests and the lobbyists want.”

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Trejo said that the “Grand New Party is building the infrastructure so that conservative candidates can have backing, have support and not be out on an island when they’re running for office or when they’re elected.”