Trump supporters have ‘ruptured the Michigan Republican Party’: NYT

The "Republican old guard" in Michigan is openly voicing disgust after the state party nominated Matthew DePerno for attorney general and Kristina Karamo for secretary of state, according to a new report.

Both candidates are endorsed by Donald Trump and have loudly pushed conspiracy theories about election fraud.

According to The New York Times, the endorsements, "have ruptured the Michigan Republican Party. After months of strain, it appears to finally be snapping as what remains of the old guard protests the party’s direction."

Trump's delusions of election fraud have become a litmus test for his support, but that is causing a backlash among traditional Republicans.

"This week, Tony Daunt, a powerful figure in Michigan politics with close ties to the influential donor network of the DeVos family, resigned from the G.O.P.’s state committee in a blistering letter, calling Mr. Trump 'a deranged narcissist.' Major donors to the state party indicated that they would direct their money elsewhere. And one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal defenders in the State Legislature was kicked out of the House Republican caucus," the newspaper reported. "The repudiation of the election-denying wing of the party by other Republicans in Michigan represents rare public pushback from conservatives against Mr. Trump’s attempts to force candidates across the country to support his claims of a rigged 2020 vote."

Former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Jeff Timmer suggested that Daunt's letter may indicate a shift in thinking by the DeVos family. Betsy DeVos served in Trump's cabinet, and her brother, Erik Prince, has also been a major Trump supporter.

“Him taking a step like this is indicative of where their thinking is," Timmer said. “It seems highly unlikely that he would do this and tell them afterward when they read it in the press.”

The DeVos family has invested millions in the Michigan Freedom Fund.

"The most recent campaign-finance reports for the state party show that some big-dollar contributors have shifted their giving," the newspaper reported. "By the end of 2021, campaign finance reports show, the number of direct contributions greater than $25,000 to the Michigan Republicans had dwindled."

The newspaper spoke with former major donor Jeffrey Cappo, whose name did not appear on the most recent report.

Cappo worried that Trump cares more about himself than the party winning.

“I think the guy really, really cared, but he cares more about himself than anybody else," Cappo said.

Read the full report.

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