LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After a fierce battle in Michigan to establish the rightful leader of the Michigan GOP, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has formally acknowledged the former ambassador and congressman Pete Hoekstra as the official chair of the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP).
The contention revolves around conflicting claims to the chairmanship of the MIGOP between Hoekstra and the originally-elected chair, Kristina Karamo, who assumed her position in February 2023.
Who made the decision?
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In the “RNC Report and Recommendation for Resolution” by the temporary committee on RNC membership disputes, they report that the committee has jurisdiction to consider the challenge through a grant of authority by the RNC that was made on February 2nd at their winter meeting.
The RNC executive committee accepted their report and unanimously voted to confirm Hoekstra as a Michigan representative of the national party. This decision came after the temporary committee established his legitimacy as the party chair.
Both sides had their say.
The New York Times has reported that the RNC, in a conference call on Monday, heard arguments from the attorneys of both Karamo and Hoekstra. They also report that Karamo challenged the authority of the RNC to decide the matter.
The RNC’s special committee concluded that Karamo was rightfully ousted as the state party chair on January 6th when a faction of state committee members voted for her removal, citing financial issues and other party mismanagement.
On January 20th, Hoekstra was elected as the new chair, and shortly thereafter, former President Donald Trump endorsed him for the position. Karamo contended that the Jan. 6th meeting and the vote for Hoekstra were unlawfully convened.
Karamo won’t step down.
In her social media post Wednesday evening, Karamo says that she’s still the legal chair of the MIGOP and “The RNC has no authority to override the precinct delegates or the state central committee.”
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In a statement emailed Wednesday night, J. Jordan, Communications Director of the Michigan Republican Party, says that the party will continue to move forward under the leadership of “Chairwoman” Kristina Karamo and she will continue serving as the duly elected Chairwoman.
The statement went on to say, “Today’s biased ruling further solidifies our position that the RNC has no authority to override the will of the MIGOP Precinct Delegates and State Committee members. Their blatant disregard for the MIGOP bylaws and procedures is a travesty.”
He concludes the statement saying, “The RNC’s discriminatory actions against Chairwoman Karamo as a voting member only prompt us to take the necessary steps to protect the rights and will of the Michigan Republican Party Precinct Delegates, State Committee members, and voters.”
Hoekstra’s statement after RNC decision.
Wednesday night on the social media platform X, Hoekstra said about the RNC’s decision, “Both the RNC and our Party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump, have now come forward and recognized me as the duly elected Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. It is time for the former Chair to join the fight to re-elect Donald Trump. She would be welcomed.”
Hoekstra also told Bridge Michigan, “Since I was elected Chairman, we have moved full-steam ahead to develop a plan to elect Republicans across Michigan. We are ready to execute. We must put our nose to the grindstone over the next several months and focus on party unity to secure a red-wave victory in November.”
Important Dates Coming up for the state’s Republican party.
There are many important political dates on the horizon for the Michigan Republican Party including the Michigan presidential primary coming on February 27th with early voting for all in Michigan starting this Saturday.
There are also Republican county conventions being held today to elect delegates to go to the district conventions and caucus on March 2nd. It’s there during the caucus that most of the delegates will be chosen for the national convention – meaning that they will hold more weight on which Republican presidential candidate wins the state than the voters.
Karamo has stated that she “absolutely” plans to oversee the March 2nd convention regardless of who is recognized as chair of the MIGOP.
A court case in the works.
Meanwhile, there is also a legal case winding its way through the Kent County Circuit Court with court dates scheduled for February and March. A January 19th lawsuit seeks recognition of Karamo’s removal from the chairmanship, alleging a breach of contract. It urges the court to uphold the rule of law, seeking declamatory and injunctive relief in line with the bylaws.
According to emails, social media posts and statements to the media, it doesn’t look like Karamo will be stepping aside without a fight and the court’s decision might be the only decision that she acknowledges. She has told Bridge Michigan, “If the court intervenes and says I have to relinquish control of the party, then of course that changes things. I’m not gonna go to jail.”
