LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate lit up Michigan GOP leadership last week with a direct, public confrontation that left little room for polite party spin. A social media video criticizing the Michigan Republican Party was posted by candidate Ralph Rebandt on January 15, a former Farmington Hills pastor who now serves as a community chaplain and is running to be Michigan’s next governor.

The video was prompted by his exclusion from the 8th Congressional District Republican Party’s Annual Roundup, held January 9–10 in Midland. While Rebandt was not invited, other candidates, including U.S. Rep. John James, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, and former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard, were invited on stage for a Gubernatorial Candidates Panel.

MORE NEWS: Congressman Thanedar’s Hot Take: ICE Should Melt Away

The 8th Congressional District committee, led by chairwoman Anne DeLisle, determined who was allowed to attend the event and did not respond to our inquiry about the criteria used for participation.

Exposure, not unity, is the problem, says candidate.

In a press conference that sounded less like a unity memo and more like a warning shot, Rebandt asked why the party leadership is so eager to sideline his campaign. According to Rebandt, the fear is exposure. Rebandt said, “Maybe they’re afraid that I would remind voters that my opponents repeatedly voted for tax increases that harmed Michigan families and small businesses. Maybe they are afraid that I would point out years of inaction on election integrity by the same people now who are asking voters to trust them.”

He continued, “And again, maybe they’re afraid I would quote their own statements, endorsements and records back to them, because when the facts are put plainly in front of voters, the establishment’s favorite candidates become harder to defend, less polished, less believable, and less protected.” He added, “The establishment exists to protect itself.”

In his video, Rebandt also called for the censure of the Michigan Republican Party’s Grassroots Vice Chair, Chris Long, accusing him of openly mocking and disparaging a grassroots campaign and the voters it represents.

The charge from Rebandt was simple: if your job title includes the word “grassroots,” publicly ridiculing grassroots candidates and voters is not part of the job description. Rebandt said that Long liked and amplified disparaging posts, mocked the campaign’s mission, and ridiculed grassroots conservatives – behavior he argued is incompatible with a role that is supposed to remain neutral and supportive during a primary.

MORE NEWS: VIDEO: Pileup of 100 Vehicles Shuts Down I-196

Taken together, Rebandt’s criticism appears to be a broad indictment of a party culture he says has blurred the line between grassroots outreach and insider gatekeeping – where titles, panels, and endorsements matter more than open competition and uncomfortable questions.

Long rejects claims his role represents a GOP faction.

Michigan News Source reached out to Long for his reaction to the video and the call for his censure. He did not return our request for comment but he has posted his reaction to Rebandt on his X account. He commented, “Who knew, that as MIGOP Grassroots Vice Chairman advocating for Republicans to win in the general election would be a CENSORABLE offense/crime! That wasn’t on my Bingo card!”

Long also pushed back forcefully against claims that, as Grassroots Vice Chair, he is meant to “represent” a particular faction within the Michigan GOP, calling that assumption “flat-out wrong” and rooted in “feelings and narratives instead of reading the bylaws that actually govern the party.” Long noted that the role is not about factional representation at all, saying something that many would be surprised to hear: “The Grassroots Vice Chair does not represent ‘the grassroots.’”

Long backed up his position by citing the Michigan GOP’s formal definition of the office, which states the Grassroots Vice Chairman “shall serve ex-officio as a member of all committees, and shall supervise and direct all activities relating to precinct delegate recruitment, voter registration, volunteers, and get-out-the-vote efforts.”

Addressing claims that he has endorsed candidates or selectively helped favored campaigns, Long said, “The bylaws prohibit endorsing candidates in a primary. I have not endorsed a single candidate,” adding, “There is no evidence because it has not happened.” He said he has assisted any candidate who contacted him “within ethical bounds,” but that support ends if a candidate works against or disparages the party, which he described as “professionalism, not favoritism.”