COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Members of the Michigan Republican Party are scheduled to meet this weekend in an attempt to remove party Chairwoman Kristina Karamo as a major election year gets underway.
Bree Moeggenberg, a member of the Michigan GOP state committee, called for a special meeting to take place in Commerce Township on Saturday, Jan. 6, to discuss Karamo’s future with the party. If at least half of the committee, about 50 people or so, attends the meeting to satisfy the quorum, the members can vote on whether to remove Karamo from her position.
Should the committee vote in favor of her removal, co-Chair Malinda Pego would temporarily take on the role until the committee elects a new chair.
The move to oust Karamo, an election conspiracist who pushed former President Donald Trump’s “big lie” of election fraud, comes less than a year after she was selected to lead the Michigan GOP for two years. Karamo received Trump’s endorsement in 2022 as a candidate in the race for Michigan’s secretary of state, but she ultimately lost to Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson by 14 points.
Much like Republican parties across the country, the Michigan GOP has experienced tension and in-fighting in recent years, with new rifts forming under Karamo’s leadership. Some members of the party argue that Karamo is not a capable leader, and hasn’t upheld her promise of overhauling and increasing the party’s funding.
Last month, Oakland County GOP Chairman Vance Patrick called on the MIGOP’s State Central Committee to remove Karamo, saying she’s “not capable of building the infrastructure that is needed” for the party to ensure victory in this year’s elections.
“This call for a vote to remove our current chair is not made lightly. It is a step [toward] ensuring that our party can continue to grow, unite, and effectively champion the ideals we hold dear,” Patrick wrote, in part, in December 2023. “A change in leadership is necessary to reinvigorate our party, to build stronger coalitions, and to prepare us for success in 2024 and beyond.”
A former community college professor, Karamo took the helm of the GOP as it was already struggling with in-fighting and debt at a time when Republicans were becoming increasingly divided over whether to support Trump. She also took on the leadership role at a time when Democrats had a majority in Michigan’s House, Senate and governor’s office for the first time in decades.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Trump is the current Republican frontrunner, though several other Republican candidates are hoping to secure the party nomination. Both Karamo and Patrick support Trump, but the Oakland County GOP chair says Karamo’s actions are not enough to help get the former president elected to another term.
“Our leadership must align with the party’s strategic goals and effectively communicate and advocate for our platform while building relationships with grassroots, donors, and the voting public at large,” Patrick’s statement reads. “Unfortunately, we have observed a divergence from these objectives during Karamo’s tenure.”
In response, Karamo has accused Patrick of engaging in “bullying tactics” in an attempt to deter her from “course correcting” the party following the “disastrous leadership of the previous administration.”
“The bottom line is that I am steadfast in my commitment to engage and energize fellow Michiganders to help the Michigan Republican Party win more elections,” Karamo said in a statement provided to Local 4 in December.
Experts say the potential vote to remove Karamo this weekend likely won’t be cut and dried. It’s possible the process could result in litigation, since Karamo has already claimed the meeting wasn’t properly called.
Regardless of the state party’s leadership, eyes will be on the battleground state this year. Trump won Michigan’s electoral votes in 2016, but lost them to current U.S. President Joe Biden in 2020.
Michigan’s Oakland County will also garner particular attention, as the longtime Republican stronghold switched in favor of Democrat Biden in 2020. Chairman Patrick is hoping to get the county, and the state, to turn red again in 2024, but claims it won’t be possible with Karamo in charge.
Some Republicans, including voters and elected officials, believe the GOP will be more successful if they distance themselves from Trump altogether. Under new rules, the Michigan GOP will hold a caucus and nominating convention early this year, which will help determine whether the party nominates Trump as their party’s presidential candidate.
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