DETROIT – Former Detroit police Chief James Craig said he will run as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary for Michigan governor.
He made the announcement Thursday (June 9) night. It comes after he was kicked off the primary ballot due to a lack of valid petition signatures.
Last week, the Michigan Court of Claims rejected Craig’s appeal to remain on the ballot for the Aug. 2 gubernatorial primary. Craig was a top Republican contender for the race against incumbent Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
However, he failed to submit enough valid nominating signatures in order to qualify for the primary ballot, according to the state’s elections bureau. The bureau says it found thousands of invalid and fraudulent signatures, which placed Craig below the required threshold of 15,000 valid signatures.
There are five candidates left in the Republican primary: Tudor Dixon, Kevin Rinke, Ryan Kelley, Garrett Soldano and Ralph Rebandt.
Ryan Kelley was arrested by the FBI and will face charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. His home in Allendale was raided by the FBI on Thursday.
Craig will have until July 22 to file as a write-in candidate.
Read more: Court rejects James Craig’s appeal to get on ballot for Michigan gov. primary