WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Michigan millionaire and businessman Republican Perry Johnson, who had to pull out of the Michigan gubernatorial race over fraudulent petition signatures, is making a run to be the next President and appeared at CPAC in Washington D.C. on Thursday to discuss his plans to “save America.”

CPAC is the Conservative Political Action Conference and they have an annual conference that is attended by a large gathering of conservative activists and elected officials from all over the country. Founded in 1964, CPAC describe themselves as the “nation’s oldest conservative grassroots organization and seeks to preserve and protect the values of life, liberty and property for every American.”

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The conference is run by the American Conservative Union of which Matt Schlapp is the chair. Schlapp currently faces accusations that surfaced in January concerning sexual misconduct with a male Herschel Walker staffer.

The gathering usually features Republican presidential candidates and those who are considering running and want to test out the waters. However, because of scheduling conflicts and possible resistance to attending due to issues involving Schlapp, Florida Governor Republican Ron DeSantis will not be at the event nor will former VP Mike Pence. Also skipping the event are potential 2024 presidential candidates South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina – as well as other notable Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Others though, who have publicly stated their intentions to run for president and those who haven’t yet but are considered to be 2024 presidential contenders, were scheduled to be in attendance including Ted Cruz, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rick Scott, and, of course, former President Donald Trump, who is the “closer” of the event.

Not shying away from the CPAC spotlight is another politician who wants to be the next president – 75-year-old Perry Johnson. He said on his Twitter account that at its core his plan to save America is to cut 2% from discretionary spending but that it “will have a big impact on American households by making everyday goods like eggs and milk affordable again.” His plan is outlined in his book “Two Cents to Save America” which he advertised during a $192K Super Bowl ad that aired on FOX affiliates in Iowa.

Johnson, who resides in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, reportedly made his millions by implementing and promoting standardization including statistical controls in the automotive industry and tweeted about his credentials by saying, “I am a problem solver, a quality guru, and I am ready to take on the biggest and most inefficient institution in the country – the federal government.”

Johnson had spent $7 million to get on the Michigan gubernatorial ballot in 2022 and didn’t succeed. He wasn’t the only one though. There were four others who were disallowed from being on the ballot after the Michigan Elections Bureau found invalid signatures on their nominating petitions. One of those candidates was former Detroit Police James Craig, who went on to mount an unsuccessful write-in campaign where he only got 23,521 votes. He hopped on Johnson’s plane this week and went to CPAC with him according to Johnson’s Twitter account.

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Also seen at CPAC supporting Johnson was Republican Pete Hoekstra, former House Intelligence Committee Chair, Donald Trump’s former Ambassador to the Netherlands, and current writer/commentator on national security and intelligence issues. He’s also a former US Rep. for Michigan’s 2nd congressional district.

Johnson, who is not known nationally had shirts available in his CPAC booth that said “Perry Who?”

He shared his beliefs with the CPAC audience on Thursday as he embarks on what many call a long shot bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. In his speech he said, “I am pro-life. I am pro-second amendment. I am pro-family. I am pro-freedom. And let’s face it…I am anti-China. They are killing us. I do not trust Putin…I think it’s kind of ridiculous to be sending a hundred billion dollars over to the Ukraine when we’re going broke here.”

 

 

Johnson has tweeted about upcoming future plans by saying, “I can’t wait to launch my bus tour in Iowa and New Hampshire later this month” and also promised, “My plan is the roadmap for the future, and I’m going to fire Biden, solve inflation and reignite the economy!”