After what can only be described as a disastrous 2022 election cycle for the Michigan GOP, which lost both the State House, Senate, and all three races at the top of the ticket, prospects for 2024 looked glum; the GOP donor class proved it was uninterested in funding the current regime in charge at the state level.
It wasn’t impressed with the candidate selection during the last election cycle.
Rick Snyder helmed Michigan in the pre-Trump years. He’s the antithesis of a MAGA Republican and has made his distaste clear. Now Snyder, along with businessman and philanthropist William Parfet, has emerged to fundraise for the state house Republicans in order to flip the House back to GOP control.
“Look at the laws that have passed in the first part of this year,” said Snyder.
He singles out a repeal of right-to-work as well as repealing giving letter grades to schools so parents can judge performance as major steps back.
Snyder has been on a speaking tour telling anyone who would listen repealing right-to-work dims Michigan’s economic future. During his tenure, Snyder was often criticized by his own party for not being conservative enough for them.
He now stands as what may be the only thing to give the House GOP a shot in 2024.
While the entire Republican caucus in the House is not made of MAGA Republicans, there is a substantial element of it; how, then, can he raise money for them?
“I’ve had good conversations with Representative Hall and a number of the caucus members, and I believe they are really focused in on setting a positive tone and a future for Michigan,” Snyder said.
His return to the arena to help the State House did come with one caveat.
“I told people we should stay out of everything else,” Snyder said. “Stay out of the presidential election because that’s a very divisive situation. Stay out of all the party operational stuff and organizational stuff. It’s a simple task.”
In other words, don’t get mired in the inter-GOP battles and concentrate on candidate recruitment. Currently, Democrats hold 56 of the House seats, Republicans 54.
