LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Two days before the Christmas holiday, Michigan Republican Party Chair Kristina Karamo sent out an email wishing Michiganders a Merry Christmas. In addition, she offered well wishes to all of the “dedicated and dependable men and women of the Michigan Republican Party.”

Karamo is in the midst of internal fighting and financial turmoil in the MIGOP and many who have expressed that they want to give her the boot. Citing issues including but not limited to continued debt, lack of fundraising, transparency issues and not appropriating funds ethically, party insiders have not been quiet about wanting to get a new party chair to lead the state in 2024.

Many want Karamo out.

MORE NEWS: IRS Documents: Brenda Tracy Didn’t Make Money Running Her Nonprofit

Trump-endorsed Karamo has only been the MIGOP chairwoman since February but only ten months in charge appears to be long enough to get many inside of the party motivated to replace her.

Failed Michigan Secretary of State candidate Karamo won the MIGOP chair position by defeating failed Michigan Attorney General candidate Matt DePerno with 58% of the vote on the final ballot. Those votes were cast by Michigan Republican precinct delegates at a state party convention. After winning the seat, Karamo told her supporters, “We will not betray you; we will not lie to you.” That night, Karamo became the first Black Chair of the state GOP.

Karamo made election integrity a central theme in her campaign to be Chair and still focuses on it today. However, there are many in the party who are disappointed, and some outright angry, about her priorities and how she is running the state party.

Who has spearheaded Karamo’s ouster?

Businessman and active party member, Warren Carpenter, who had been Chairman of the 9th Congressional District’s Republican Committee resigned in September, and is a leader in the effort to oust Karamo from her top spot. Carpenter is reported to have sponsored the 140-page report released on December 10 and titled “The Failed Leadership of the Karamo Administration.”

What’s in the report?

In the report, there are 124 pages of exhibits, financial information and other documents. In addition, the report alleges the state party is more than $500,000 in debt. The report accuses Karamo of not fulfilling her promises including transparency, trust, conservative values, and a new fundraising direction. It states, “She (Karamo) has created a small governing group that operates in secret and essentially makes all operational decisions and takes all actions without regard to the Party’s bylaws and governing documents and without full transparency with the Party committees, state committee, and delegates.” It goes on to say that her financing plan has completely failed and has “put the Party at an imminent risk of defaulting on its line of credit and potentially needing to declare bankruptcy.”

The report concludes, “Although many Republicans may agree with most if not all of the policy positions Ms. Karamo espouses and were excited with Ms. Karamo’s platform, that does not mean Ms. Karamo is qualified to chair the Party. Unfortunately, Ms. Karamo has proven to not only be unqualified, but she also has in nine months brought the Party to the brink of bankruptcy. Not only that, but there is no chance the Party will be able to recover under Ms. Karamo’s leadership in time to have any positive impact on the 2024 election.”

What are they saying?

Carpenter has told Michigan Advance about replacing Karamo, “I will support anybody who supports the principles that I first signed up for, which are law and order, transparency and hard work. If any of these individuals that come forward want to sign up to that and prove that, then so be it. And if they get in and they don’t do it, then I’ll do the same thing I did with the prior administration, expose what the malfeasance is, and I’ll push to get them out. We want competent leadership.”

MORE NEWS: At Charlie Kirk Memorial, Hillsdale’s Dr. Larry Arnn Honors Him As “One of the Best I Ever Saw”

Karamo has said about Carpenter, “This individual is part of a network of corrupt individuals throughout Michigan who pose as political conservatives, highly invested in turning MIGOP to its previous decades-long being managed as engineered-ineffectiveness and in a co-conspirator relationship with Democrats and their media accomplices.”

 Carpenter, who at one time was one of Karamo’s biggest supporters, has turned his back on her as have many other in the party’s organizational structure. Warren says there are enough votes to get her out as the MIGOP chair – and there still appears to be a special meeting to discuss and possibly vote on Karamo’s removal on Wednesday, December 27th.

Who is voting to remove Karamo?

One of those votes to get rid of Karamo will be from Oakland County Republican Party chair Vance Patrick who said in a statement released earlier this month, ”I believe that Chair Kristina Karamo is not capable of building the infrastructure that is needed to deliver victory for our Presidential, US Senate, and down-ballot Republican nominees. Because of this, I am urging the MIGOP State Committee to vote to remove Kristina Karamo from her position as Chair of the Michigan Republican Party.”

Another “no” vote for Karamo will be from state committee member, Bree Moeggenberg, who told CNN about Karamo, “She’s disenfranchised us. She has pushed the RINO’s per se away. She has pushed all sides of establishment away. She has pushed grassroots away.”

Piling onto opposition in Karamo’s battle to stay on as Chair is Dawn Beattie, a state committee member, who sent an email in November to fellow Republicans that said, “If I would have known that Kristina Karamo would have turned out to be such a tyrannical incompetent dumpster fire I would never have worked so hard to get her elected. For that I apologize.”

The party is “resistant to change.”

Things have gotten so bad that a member of the state GOP’s budget committee, Jessica Barefield of Livingston County, resigned recently. In her resignation letter, she said, “Despite my efforts, it has become evident that the issues within leadership and the committee are deeply rooted and resistant to change. It has reached a point where I feel it is no longer safe for me to be associated with this committee as it allows leadership to engage in practices that run counter to my principles and values.”

Karamo’s co-chair speaks.

Although Co-Chair Malinda Pego has stayed neutral in the infighting going on, she contacted party members over the weekend, as reported by the MIGOP News Facebook page. In her statement, she said that she was open to having the members do a thorough review of the chair’s position. Pego said, “Today, I signed a petition to support a meeting for discussions of removal of our chair of the Michigan Republican State Committee…As your Co-Chair of the Michigan Republican State Committee, I believe it is crucial to give ALL of our elected members of our State Committee their voice and opportunity to be heard by all members of our committee and the ability to represent their districts accordingly.”

She continued, “Due to a series of decisions and actions there is a growing consensus among party members that a thorough review of the chair’s position is both necessary and appropriate.

It is crucial in our elected representative system, our state committee members thoroughly review all information available and diligently assess the information. We need to make decisions that resonate with the sentiments of our delegates and every Republican voter in Michigan.”

Pego went on to say, “As representatives entrusted with the responsibility of guiding our party’s trajectory into the critical year of 2024, it is incumbent upon us, the State Committee members, to ensure the values enshrined in our Republican Party platform are upheld. The upcoming election demands a united front and strategic planning to secure victory. This necessitates a cohesive and effective leadership structure within our party. Elected representatives need to embody our Republican values at local, state, and national levels. We too, must act as a safeguard within our committee for the health of our Michigan Republican Party. It is through these internal checks and balances that we distinguish ourselves from other political entities. We must recommit to scrutiny and accountability. A lack of accountability is a risk to becoming a party devoid of the principles that define us.”

Pego finished her statement by saying, “Upon these considerations, I urge the Michigan Republican State Committee members to conduct a thorough review of all information and cast a decision that aligns with the principles, aspirations and expectations of our delegates and our Republican voters across our beloved state. Our collective future success in 2024 hinges on a united and principled approach. I believe that our discernment will play a pivotal role in steering us towards victory.

I appreciate each of you and your commitment to conservatism and our party. I look forward to continuing working together.”

Karamo pushes back.

Perhaps sensing a coup getting closer and closer after Pego’s statement, Karamo sent out her own email over the weekend to try to reassure those in the party who still support her. Karamo said in her email, “As a Party, I have heard from county leaders and precinct delegates from across the state who are frustrated with the instigation of internal fighting and want Republicans to focus on winning, which is necessary to save our nation.”

Karamo went on to say, “These deceptive and underhanded endeavors endanger the Michigan GOP’s drive toward victory in 2024. They also disrupt the determination of the Republican men and women who are working tirelessly to win the Spiritual war being fought on a cultural battlefield. We will not be deterred! We must be resolute in our efforts and actions to engage and energize Michiganders in every community, city, and county to join us in the fight to stave off the onslaught of global authoritarianism that threatens our great state and beloved country.”

Karamo concluded the email by saying, “I am entirely optimistic about the great strides the Michigan GOP has made and will make in 2024. I ask that my fellow Michigan Republicans come together through differences and disagreements like iron sharpening iron. It is truly an honor to serve as Chairwoman for the Michigan Republican Party, and I am fully committed to working with my fellow Michiganders to ensure victory in 2024.”

How would this vote happen?

It’s documented in the party’s bylaws that removing Karamo as Chair would require a 75% vote of the state committee and there are just over 100 voting members. Carpenter had said he wanted to amend party bylaws to reduce the threshold for removal of the chair to a 60% vote. Doing that would require a two-thirds vote of the state committee.