President Donald Trump's name was barely mentioned at a Michigan GOP convention over the weekend, even as the party sought to present a "unified strategy" to voters, according to a new report.
The Detroit Free Press reported that the Aug. 22 nominating convention inside the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant was full of Trumpian attacks on Democrats — blaming them for issues ranging from schools to roads and the electric grid — but the leader of the national party was conspicuously absent. Even Republicans like Senate candidate Mike Rogers, attorney general nominee Doug Lloyd, and Secretary of State candidate Anthony Forlini avoided using Trump's name in their speeches, according to the report.
"Asked why neither he nor any of the other candidates mentioned Trump, Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, the state party chairman, pointed to Michigan's poor performance on student testing and the condition of Michigan roads," the report reads. "'We can't do anything about what's happening at the national level,' Runestad said. 'We need to be focused on what we can do here on the state of Michigan.'"
Runestad's comments also starkly contrast with the plea Trump made to voters during a rally last Friday for Darline Graham, who is running to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in the Senate. Trump recalled how analysts have said Republicans perform poorly when Trump isn't on the ballot.
"Please, pretend I am on the ballot," Trump told the audience.
