Laina G. Stebbins, Michigan Advance

The repeal of an antiquated, unenforced Michigan statute on cohabitation received unexpected pushback in the Senate Wednesday, as several Republicans argued in support of the century-old statute that criminalizes unmarried couples living together.

Senate Bill 56 would amend Section 750.335 of the 1931 Michigan Penal Code, which currently states: “Any man or woman, not being married to each other, who lewdly and lasciviously associates and cohabits together … is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or a fine of not more than $1,000.00.”

Though the law is rarely enforced, state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) said she introduced SB 56 to change it in order to “[bring] us into the 21st century” and update the books.

SB 56 essentially clears the statute of its references to cohabitation, while keeping the language that still penalizes any individuals “guilty of open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.”

The bill cleared the Democratic-controlled chamber Wednesday with a vote of 29-9. All no votes were Republicans: Sens. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell), Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), Roger Victory (R-Georgetown Twp.), John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs), Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway), Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater), Kevin Daley (R-Lum) and Lana Theis (R-Brighton).

Chang said Michigan is one of just two states in the country that still has a law on the book prohibiting unmarried men and women from living together.

In his no-vote explanation, Albert said that while he believes that criminalizing cohabitation is a “foolish policy,” he does support the statute overall as he believes it was “enacted in order to encourage marriage.”

“I very easily would be a yes on this bill if the tax structure continued to encourage marriage,” Albert said, citing benefits for children who grow up in a household with married parents.

“Federal law prevents taxpayers from claiming some dependent if their relationship violates state law. The bill before us today would clear the way for two unmarried individuals living together to meet dependency requirements and claim those tax benefits,” he continued.

Referencing popular television shows and movies in the 1970s and 1980s, state Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) also spoke of his support for married households.

“This law was not passed to be mean or stodgy. It was passed because it was better for society, and particularly for children,” McBroom said. He said its forthcoming repeal is emblematic of society’s worsening moral issues.

“I wasn’t anticipating a floor discussion about this bill,” Chang said after Albert and McBroom voiced their opposition.

“This law will help some individuals in our state by reducing their taxpayer burden,” Chang said. “It’ll place unmarried Michigan taxpayers on equal footing with tax brackets in almost every other state.”

SB 56 now heads to the Michigan House for consideration.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute that issued the report, said it is “no coincidence this ‘year of hate’ coincides with a record number of LGBTQ+ elected officials serving in public office, from school boards to Congress.

“The courage of LGBTQ+ lawmakers fighting these hateful bills proves this backlash has not and will not deter our community,” Parker continued.

During the last legislative session in Michigan and beyond, lawmakers introduced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to exclude trans athletes from school sports. GOP candidates, like former gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, made anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and issues key parts of their 2022 campaigns.

However, they were not successful. Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, were reelected to all top statewide offices, and the party also flipped both chambers of the Legislature.

The number of out, LGBTQ+ elected officials serving in the U.S. increased by 68% over the past five years, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s report says, rising from 698 in 2019 to 1,174 in 2023.

That includes seven state lawmakers currently serving in Michigan, all Democrats: state Sen. Jeremy Moss (Southfield) and state Reps. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), Noah Arbit (D-West Bloomfield), Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield), Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) — along with other elected officials, like Attorney General Dana Nessel.

The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute released the report on Sunday, April 2, a date the group celebrates each year to commemorate Kathy Kozachenko becoming the first out LGBTQ+ person to ever be elected to office in the United States. Kozachenko was elected to the Ann Arbor City Council on April 2, 1974.

“The increased number of LGBTQ+ people serving in elected office makes two things extremely clear: That the majority of voters do not support the attacks on our community and that we won’t stand by silently as those attacks seek to strip us of our rights and our safety,” said Pohutsky, who is the state’s first openly LGBTQ+ female lawmaker.

The D.C.-based group’s report also highlights an increase in the proportion of LGBTQ+ people of color serving in the U.S., which increased 10% from 2019 to 2023. Black/African-American/Afro-Caribbean representation increased by 186% and Latinx representation increased by 116%.

Hoskins, the first openly gay person of color to serve in the Michigan Legislature, said that voices like his “have been missing from the table for too long.”

“I’m elated we have the largest LGBTQ+ Legislative Caucus in Michigan’s history but we cannot and will not rest,” Hoskins told the Advance. “In Michigan and across the nation, attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the trans Community, have intensified. We are one movement and an attack on trans people is an attack on all LGBTQ+ people.

“With these gains for LGBTQ+ elected officials nationwide, together we can make this world a safer and more compassionate one for all.”

The report goes on to note that LGBTQ+ women have seen increased representation, including trans women (which now number 41 nationwide), and representation for non-binary and gender nonconforming people has increased by 300%.

This new year marks the first time a nonbinary person has served in the Michigan Legislature, with the election of Dievendorf.

In Congress, there are now 13 LGBTQ+ lawmakers compared to 10 in 2019. In state legislatures, the number of lawmakers increased by 55% — from 147 in 2019 to a record 228 in 2023. LGBTQ+ representation in local government saw the greatest increase, with an 83% increase from 394 in 2019 to 721 now.

“After years of struggling with my identity, I am proud to serve as the youngest openly LGBTQ+ person ever elected to the Michigan Legislature,” Arbit said Monday.

“I am even prouder to serve as a member of the largest-ever LGBTQ+ Caucus in the history of the Michigan Legislature. Together, we are writing a new script for LGBTQ+ political representation in Michigan and placing the rights and welfare of Michigan’s LGBTQ+ community at the forefront of our legislative agenda.”

Moss, the state’s first openly gay senator, said he has witnessed a significant shift over the last few years in terms of acceptance for LGBTQ+ members running for office.

“I think we shifted quite a bit, even from the time that I first ran for office a decade ago, where the risk to a candidate was running as an openly gay candidate. I think now, the risk is running as an openly homophobic candidate,” Moss told the Advance. “We had a massive shift in the dynamics there.”

Moss notes that he also celebrates April 2 as a commemoration to Kozachenko’s election nearly 50 years ago.

“As this movement was happening, Ann Arbor was one of the beating hearts of this movement,” he said.

Last month, Whitmer signed a Senate bill sponsored by Moss to expand Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ+ rights. Advocates had been trying and failing to expand the act for decades.

“The voters are tired of politicians who espouse hateful and divisive rhetoric because they’ve run out of policy ideas,” said McFall. “I’m grateful to the Michiganders who saw through it and voted for change and equality.

“While we celebrate today, we can not rest because the fight for equality is never over. We’ve made a lot of progress with LGBTQ rights so far this legislative session, and I look forward to being involved in continuing that progress.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Following an unusual procedural move from Senate Republicans to push back against Democrats’ now-passed tax relief plan earlier this month, Democratic leadership came back last week with punitive measures for two of the Republicans involved — plus a potential rule change that could help the new majority skirt around the chamber’s immediate effect rule.

Democrats found their vote on the tax plan delayed by a week when Republicans adjourned the Senate early in a surprise move on Feb. 7, before the upper chamber was able to cast votes.

Following through on her promise to have an “appropriate response” to the GOP’s procedural maneuver, several measures from Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) on Thursday stripped Senate Minority Floor Leader Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway) and state Sen. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe) of certain leadership powers. Both had been involved in the delay tactics over House Bill 4001.

Senate Resolution 11 makes a single amendment to the standing rules of the Michigan Senate to eliminate the associate president pro tempore position completely. Bellino had previously held the position, which had made him the fourth-highest ranking member of the Senate.

The resolution was adopted along party lines. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) called the move “historically wrong.”

“It’s unfortunate that forging ahead on a rules change without discussion, without negotiations with the Senate minority is highly suspect but historically wrong,” Nesbitt said. “ … The one thing I know that’s in the rule changes was an elimination of a position and I think it stems from some of the things last week.

“We did so because the final bill that was about to be jammed through this body had not been seen in its entirety until about five hours prior,” Nesbitt continued, criticizing the tax bill that he called “the governor’s [Gretchen Whitmer] secret scheme.”

Brinks then offered up Senate Resolution 12, which would amend the standing rules of the Senate by slightly altering wording regarding immediate effect votes. These votes allow bills to go into effect right away, instead of next year.

Instead of requiring that the electronic voting system be used to make a roll call vote — where two-thirds of the chamber must approve — the new language notes that it “may” be used. The presiding officer may also conduct a voice vote even if the electronic voting system is in use.

Democrats have a slim 20-18 majority, so any immediate effect votes as of now have required GOP support to reach the two-thirds threshold. This historically has been a way that the minority party could exercise some power on more controversial bills. However, after a contentious start to the term, there’s been concern from majority Democrats that Republicans will not lend their votes to give most bills immediate effect and procedural reforms are needed to govern.

The House has given immediate effect to bills via voice votes for decades, under both Democratic and Republican leadership.

The resolution was referred to the Senate Government Operations Committee.

Communications from Brinks’ office were then read, replacing Bellino and Lauwers in their committee leadership positions while removing them entirely from two committees.

Both were removed from their seats on the Senate Energy and Environment Committee and the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee.

State Sen. John DaMoose (R-Harbor Springs) was appointed minority vice chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, replacing Lauwers; state Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) was appointed minority vice chair of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, replacing Bellino.

“Senate Democrats are punishing me for doing everything in my power as a member of the Senate to bring more transparency to a scheme designed to take away a tax cut from all Michigan residents,” Bellino said in a statement Thursday.

“They can strip me of whatever pro tempore title they wish, but I will not remain silent as they work to silence my voice in this chamber.”

In his own statement, Lauwers defended his actions while calling the punitive measures an “abhorrent abuse of power.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Following a late Monday night shooting that killed three Michigan State University students and injured five more — mere miles from the state’s Capital of Lansing — Democratic lawmakers are vowing to deliver more than empty words in order to prevent another tragedy.

“F—k your thoughts and prayers,” reads the opening line of a late-night statement from House Majority Whip Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton).

“ … Thoughts and prayers without action and change are meaningless. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to pass common sense gun reform immediately. We will not stop until our students can attend school without fear, our communities can attend places of worship in peace, and our society is safe from senseless gun violence.”

State Rep. Kelly Breen (D-Novi) echoed Puri’s sentiments in a tweet, writing: “Policy & change. F—k your thoughts and prayers. I will not mince words.”

Again I will be very clear: Policy & change. Fuck your thoughts and prayers.
I will not mince words. I echo @RanjeevPuri's sentiments. Children are dead. Anyone offended at my language and NOT that kids are in a morgue can piss off.
More to come. Bank on it. https://t.co/THiG5AdGRG
— Kelly Breen (@VoteKellyBreen) February 14, 2023

Democrats hold slim majorities in both the House and Senate. For the first time in about 40 years, they have a governing trifecta along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and have vowed to take action on gun control measures that have long stalled in Michigan, such as safe storage and so-called “red flag” laws.

The gunman, Anthony McRae, who police said is not affiliated with the university, opened fire in MSU’s Berkey Hall at 8:18 p.m. Two students were killed there.

The suspect then moved next door to the MSU student union and opened fire again, where another student was killed.

MSU Police on Tuesday afternoon released the names of two of the students killed: Brian Fraser, a sophomore from Grosse Pointe, and Alexandria Verner, a junior from Clawson. Police said they would not be releasing the third victim’s name at this time out of respect for the family’s wishes.

Five more injured victims — all students — are still in critical condition as of Tuesday morning, and four have required surgical intervention at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital.

MSU classes are canceled until Monday, Feb. 20.

“I am angry that the safety and security of Michigan State University has been shattered by the uniquely American scourge of gun violence,” said House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit), who graduated from MSU.

“ … This is not a new phenomenon, and the people who elected us to help lead the state have no patience for inaction. … We have a choice. We can continue to debate the reasons for gun violence in America, or we can act. We cannot continue to do the same thing over and over again and hope for a different outcome,” Tate said.

There have so far been 67 mass shootings nationwide in the first 45 days of 2023 alone.

McRae, 43, was found by law enforcement roughly three hours after the shooting in East Lansing. After being confronted, police say he fatally shot himself.

Whitmer, an MSU alum who ordered U.S. and Michigan flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff until further notice on Tuesday, said in statements Tuesday morning that “the whole state of Michigan is wrapping its arms around the Spartan community today.”

“This is a uniquely American problem. Too many of us scan rooms for exits when we enter them. We plan who that last text or call would go to. We should not, we cannot, accept living like this,” Whitmer said.

She and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) spoke at the MSU police briefing Tuesday morning.

Law enforcement have so far not been able to find a motive for the shooting. According to the Detroit News, McRae was charged with multiple gun-related crimes in 2019.

Attorney General Dana Nessel has twin sons who attend MSU. She told CNN on Tuesday that one of them had just left one of the locations on campus shortly before shots were fired.

“As a parent, there is no greater fear than having your child tell you there is an active shooter at their school. I experienced this terror along with thousands of other MSU families last night,” Nessel said in a statement. “While my Spartan sons are safe, I am mourning the devastating loss and senseless violence. The events at Michigan State University are a tragedy for the entire state of Michigan. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, friends, and loved ones.”

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) also has a child who attends MSU.

“As the mom of an MSU student, I’m watching with dread as the events on and around campus are unfolding, so grateful and relieved my daughter is answering my texts and calls. My heart is breaking for the parents whose children have been injured or killed,” Brinks tweeted.

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten and David Hecker, AFT Michigan president, demanded that politicians take immediate action on gun control.

“The tragedy at Michigan State demands immediate action from our state and federal lawmakers,” Weingarten and Hecker said in a joint statement. “We cannot become numb and accept this violence as normal. We cannot allow politics to hold us back from acting. Too many lives have been taken because of gun violence and too little has been done. Our elected officials need to act and push through common sense gun violence prevention legislation that will save lives.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) and groups including Michigan Education Association (MEA), MSU Administrative Professionals Association, Campaign for a Safer Michigan, Detroit Action, Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA), Progress Michigan and more.

Mitchell Robinson, a Democratic member of the State Board of Education in Michigan, said that his two sons were on campus when the shooting began; one was in the Union and heard the shots. Robinson said both of his sons are safe.

President Joe Biden’s press secretary said on Twitter that Biden spoke with Whitmer Monday night following the shooting. Whitmer also confirmed that at the press conference Tuesday morning.

Republicans, now in the minority in the Michigan Legislature, also offered some words of support for victims but did not offer plans of action.

“Today, we are all Spartans,” reads the lone statement from the House GOP caucus on Twitter.

Today, we are all Spartans. pic.twitter.com/RfOWQEjtBD
— MI House Republicans (@MI_Republicans) February 14, 2023

State Sens. Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) and Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) issued statements of their own, with Nesbitt writing that “parents and community leaders [are] desperately searching for ways to prevent these senseless attacks on the innocent.”

Some Republicans in Congress also responded.

U.S. Sen. Lisa McClain (R-Romeo) also tweeted that she is “heartbroken” and is praying for the MSU community and families affected.

“This culture of violence and murder must stop,” said U.S. Rep. John James (R-Farmington Hills).

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

That culminated in eight House Republicans voting against House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) for his new position, which is unusual considering both chambers traditionally vote unanimously in the mostly ceremonial procedure.

Tate, who is Black, is the first person of color to serve as House speaker in Michigan.

“It’s unfortunate that when legislators, regardless of party or worldview, have an opportunity to contribute to the history of Michigan empowering people of color they vote against diversity and inclusion,” said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III of Detroit, a leading civil rights activist who heads the Detroit Association of Black Organizations.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, Democrats control both the House and the Senate and they are serving alongside Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who won reelection last year.

Although House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Marshall) voted for Tate and emphasized in a press conference later Wednesday that he looks forward to working together with the Democrat, several of his colleagues in the newly declared Freedom Caucus — state Reps. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), James DeSana (R-Carleton), Joseph Fox (R-Tecumseh), Neil Friske (R-Petoskey), Mike Hoadley (R-Au Gres), Matt Maddock (R-Milford), Angela Rigas (R-Hastings) and Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) — voted “no.”

There were also several Republican votes against state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), who is the chamber’s first LGBTQ+ speaker pro tempore. And the caucus of far-right lawmakers issued a press release saying they didn’t support the rules for the lower chamber.

“Eight conservative Republicans voted against Joe Tate for Michigan speaker, and it took 15 tries for [U.S. House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy in Congress,” said the Rev. Charles Williams II of the National Action Network Michigan. “Republicans have turned into the party of obstruction and destruction.”

State Rep. Andrew Beeler (R-Fort Gratiot) also made a move to introduce the first bill of the new session, getting his measure in before Tate, bucking longstanding tradition. Majority leaders and speakers generally introduce the first bill or defer to another key member of their caucus.

“There’s a speaker’s prerogative” to introduce the first bill, Tate told reporters afterward on Wednesday.

Hall defended Beeler to reporters when asked whether the action is predictive of contention between the parties, saying that Beeler was in the House late Tuesday and early Wednesday to push through his bill cutting the retirement tax — legislation signed by the last GOP governor, Rick Snyder.

Under Beeler’s bill, seniors 67 years and older would be able to deduct $40,000 of all income from the state income tax, or $80,000 for couples filing jointly. Seniors aged 62 to 66 would also be able to deduct retirement income — $20,000 for individuals or $40,000 for joint filers.

On whether the votes against Tate and Beeler’s line-cutting to introduce a bill before Tate are indicative of disrespect toward the new speaker and Democratic majority, Hall said that there are fractures in both parties but he supports Tate’s leadership.

“I voted for Joe Tate, and … I believe that civility is important,” Hall said. “I am coming forward in good faith, wanting to work together to govern in the middle with Joe Tate and the Democrats. But they have to stay focused on these common sense policies that are going to help working families like the ones that we propose today.”

Hall announced on Wednesday that Republicans also want to increase Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). One of Democrats’ first bills also would expand the EITC.

When asked about the eight votes against his leadership on Wednesday, Tate told reporters he is focused on working with everyone.

“My focus is working together and I want to make sure that we’re doing that, Tate said. “So I think all went well today. I know we are going to have different opinions across this entire chamber, but I’m not concerned about that.

“I’m just ready to get to work.”

Advance reporter Ken Coleman contributed to this story.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

The events of Jan. 6, 2021, came as a violent result of pro-Trump election misinformation that has continued to permeate Republican politics — with the rhetoric taking over as the new GOP norm in some places, while causing intra-party division in others.

In any case, the political divide in Michigan and beyond seems deeper than ever.

“The insurrection was a dark day for our country,” said Gunner Ramer, political director of the Republican Accountability Project launched by the Washington, D.C.-based Defending Democracy Together. “It was an indictment on the Republican Party and it still is an indictment on the Republican Party.

“ … The idea of overturning a free and fair election — I can’t think of anything less conservative than that. I can’t think of anything less against the Constitution than that.”

The rhetoric that sparked the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol two years ago also sparked a wave of new, election-denying candidates running for office in Michigan and many other key states. Running to oppose Democrats Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson were Republicans Tudor Dixon, Matthew DePerno and Kristina Karamo, respectively. All pushed lies about the 2020 presidential election and promised to make policy changes accordingly if elected.

Ryan Kelley, a GOP candidate for governor who finished fourth in the August primary, participated in the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and is currently facing charges.

A bevy of congressional and state House and Senate candidates who stoked doubt in election integrity also ran for Michigan office in 2020.

All three top GOP nominees lost, as well as a number of election deniers down the ballot. And although the fact remains that half of Michigan’s GOP state lawmakers are election deniers — and at least two, state Reps. Angela Rigas (R-Hastings) and Matt Maddock (R-Milford), were in D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021 — Democrats were able to win back power in the state House and Senate for the first time in decades, diminishing Republicans’ political influence greatly.

“It’s one thing to win a Republican primary; it’s another to win a general election,” Ramer said. He added that there were enough swing voters — “including a non-insignificant amount of Republican leaning-voters” — to rebuke many of the election deniers.

“They were just very poor candidates. They weren’t able to fundraise in any meaningful way in the general election that allowed for them to hit back on the abortion attacks or the election denialism,” he said.

“The Democrats and outside groups did a very good job of defining these Republicans as too extreme. The Dobbs decision [overturning Roe v. Wade] helped Democrats as a way to really define them, even though voters had these concerns over the economy, crime and inflation.”

Although the U.S. Congress at first failed to meet the moment in the insurrection’s aftermath, the work it accomplished in the past year has left American democracy in better shape than before, according to the nonpartisan, anti-authoritarianism nonprofit D.C.-based Protect Democracy.

Those accomplishments include reforming the 135-year-old Electoral Count Act to patch up vulnerabilities that Trump supporters attempted to exploit, as well as other advances that Protect Democracy says have furthered transparency, accountability and government efficiency.

But the threat has not passed, the nonprofit warns in a report released Wednesday.

“It remains eminently plausible that an authoritarian-minded candidate could return to the White House in two years. The next attack on our democracy may not be as dramatic as armed militia members crashing through windows at the Capitol, but it may be no less damaging,” the report reads.

“Congress, and the American people, should take the success stories of 2022 not as an opportunity to declare victory, but as a hopeful shift in trajectory — a reminder that progress is possible — and an example to build on in years ahead.”

But even with voters’ significant rebuke of election-denying Republican candidates on Nov. 8, Ramer says that many are still in power and causing political discord for both parties.

“There is a lot of dysfunction within the Republican Party,” Ramer said, pointing to the failure of the GOP majority in the U.S. House to elect a new speaker.

The chamber is currently at a standstill until a speaker is chosen; without one, members-elect cannot be sworn in and chamber rules cannot be set. This means that the U.S. House currently has no members nor the ability to advance any legislation.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was the favorite to become the next speaker, and received an endorsement for the position from Trump, but has since faced vehement backlash and opposition from some of the more hardline, election-denying GOP members including U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Without their votes, McCarthy will continue to lose on ballots for speaker.

“The elected Republican members of Congress, a lot of them are still very Trumpy,” Ramer said. “They’re still very MAGA. A lot of them, even if they’re supporting Kevin McCarthy, wanted to overturn a free and fair election in 2020. And I think that overall that’s an indictment on the modern day Republican Party.”

The members that oppose McCarthy represent a “force that [Trump] unleashed on the Republican Party,” he continued.

This force has been a source of concern for election experts for years. The implication has been that, should enough election deniers gain power prior to 2024, the integrity of that presidential election could be compromised.

“I am relieved that Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson [and] Dana Nessel easily won reelection and beat these election denying candidates,” Ramer said, adding that he is confident all three will “respect the results of a free and fair election.”

Benson on Friday will receive a Presidential Citizens Medal on Friday from Biden, who cited Benson’s and others’ “courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation.”

Lawmakers and officials in top offices play roles in running or certifying the 2024 elections. Those who occupy the offices of governor, attorney general, secretary of state and congressional seats have significant power over election certification and outcomes.

Had more election deniers been able to fill those seats, the notion of having a free and fair election process could have been thrown into disarray.

“I haven’t had a lot of optimism, but I’d say that what happened in November made me very optimistic for what happened across the country at all levels of government, or at least in a lot of cases,” Ramer continued. “Not every case but in a lot of cases, including in Michigan, election deniers lost.

“Before Nov. 8, I was deeply concerned with the possibility of these election deniers winning.”

Michigan Republican ticket silent on MIGOP co-chair's homophobic tweet

Michigan Republican ticket silent on MIGOP co-chair's homophobic tweetGOP nominees (L-R): Tudor Dixon for governor, Matt DePerno for attorney general and Kristina Karamo for secretary of state | Andrew Roth and Allison R. Donahue photos

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Speaking on the challenges posed by COVID-19 since early 2020, Shirkey soon launched into remarks blasting Whitmer’s administration for past efforts it deployed to prevent further spread of the virus. The Republican said that her leadership during the pandemic was “based on a core message of fear,” which “fog[ged] the thinking of everybody.”

A whirlwind of COVID-19 disinformation and QAnon-esque conspiracy theories, Shirkey’s speech was filled with the talking points that have dominated much of the far-right landscape throughout the pandemic.

COVID-19 was a “surprise foreign attack” that was “most certainly planned,” Shirkey claimed without evidence. He alleged baselessly that scientists have ignored COVID-19 data that is not consistent with their “preferred narrative,” while repeating arguments he has previously pushed regarding “natural immunity.”

Shirkey also falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines have been proven ineffective and are likely unsafe. He spoke out against “unscientific and unnecessary” social restrictions that Whitmer’s administration put in place during the height of the pandemic, including school shutdowns.

In reality, research has shown that vaccines are both safe and effective. University of Michigan researchers also found in January 2021 that Whitmer’s strict public health measures during the 2020 holiday season likely prevented more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases and thousands of deaths in Michigan.

Shirkey then invoked the Bible while laying out what he sees for the future.

“I carry a burden. … I can see things that are about to happen or going to happen that other people sometimes can’t see,” Shirkey said.

“… We are witnessing 2 Timothy Chapter 3 before our very eyes. COVID was a test. These next challenges will be much more than a test.”

The portion of the King James Bible referenced by Shirkey alludes to “terrible times in the last days.”

Shirkey said that in the “spiritual battle” to come, all elements of life will be under attack as humans worship “little ‘g’ gods.”

“These are the next threats that will make COVID-19 an elementary memory. Little ‘g’ gods like ESG, climate change, gun control, child sacrifice, trans-whatever-we-can-concoct, central bank digital currencies, artificial intelligence, agricultural demonization, Critical Race Theory, and the list goes on,” Shirkey said.

“The intent behind these little ‘g’ gods is to achieve one world governance. One world religion, one world healthcare, one world currency, one world control and the elimination of sovereignty.”

The primary element driving these efforts is the World Economic Forum (WEF), Shirkey claimed, invoking an online conspiracy that claims the global elite — which antisemitic conspirators claim is controlled by Jews — is using COVID-19 to enact a new world order and set up a “one world government.”

GOP former secretary of state nominee Kristina Karamo, whose campaign was built on QAnon-adjacent conspiracies, agreed with the sentiment via Twitter.

“It is to our peril for any of us to ignore their agenda,” Shirkey said. “… The threats you will face in the next four years are real and more dangerous than what we’ve endured these last three years.”

After speaking about the WEF’s “objectives” for some time and the perceived dangers of everything from digital currencies to artificial intelligence, Shirkey then launched into the format of a more familiar farewell speech with thank yous, shoutouts and personal anecdotes.

One of those anecdotes caught the attention of many listening and was fodder for a number of tweets Wednesday night.

Uh.
— Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) December 7, 2022

Having just moved into the Binsfeld Office Building in 2018, Shirkey said he visited the restroom and thought the temperature of the facilities were unusual. After using the restroom twice more — “I figured it out,” Shirkey said.

“It was the toilet that was warm. And so I put my hand in it. And it was hot water.”

Shirkey said he then called maintenance staff to ask them “why taxpayers are paying for hot water in our toilets.”

me: it’s a lame duck session, so nothing wacky will happen
Mike Shirkey: I stuck my hand in the toilet to see how warm it was https://t.co/o1f8ubsKue
— Seasonal Affective Hard Seltzer 🫒 (@VernorsHerzog) December 7, 2022

During his time as Senate Majority Leader, Shirkey also stirred up controversy with sexist remarks directed toward Whitmer, comparing slavery to abortion, pushing election misinformation, admitting that he advised Michigan militias on messaging while insisting they get a “bad rap,” and more.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Attention has mostly been focused on the defeats of election deniers at the top of the ballot, both in Michigan and nationwide. Republican Tudor Dixon lost to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Republican Kristina Karamo was defeated by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Republican Matt DePerno was beaten by Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Democrats also wrested control of both chambers of the Michigan Legislature for the first time in almost 40 years. However, the next class of lawmakers will still include a bevy of election deniers.

Combining both chambers, 50% of incoming GOP lawmakers in Michigan — 36 out of 72 — will have been involved in various efforts to undermine faith in Michigan’s 2020 election that was won by President Joe Biden. Actions range from publicly and baselessly surmising that “fraud” may have occurred to signing onto lawsuits to overturn the election and participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“Michigan voters showed up in record numbers on Election Day and made very clear that elections are about protecting our freedom to vote, and they know we still face continued threats to our democracy,” said Dianne Byrum, state lead for the Washington, D.C.-based Defend Democracy Project.

“Michiganders know that politicians who deliberately put up barriers to voting should be held accountable because what they’re trying to do is silence people and have minority rule over the majority.”

Byrum is a Democratic former leader in the Legislature who now chairs the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

With Republicans controlling both chambers for the last session, no members or members-elect who sowed distrust in Michigan’s election system since the fateful 2020 presidential election have faced consequences from GOP leadership for their actions, despite multiple calls from Democrats.

Those include a resolution from incoming House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate 11 House Republicans for seditious conspiracy and another condemning fake GOP electors. Current House Minority Leader Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Twp.) also pushed for a bipartisan panel to investigate Michigan’s role in the insurrection and state Sen. Adam Hollier (D-Detroit) introduced a resolution condemning the actions by pro-Trump insurrectionists, among other efforts.

When asked by the Advance if new legislative leadership would take action next term, neither Democratic spokesperson for either chamber offered comment.

State Rep. Matt Hall (R-Marshall) and state Sen. Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), who have been selected to lead each chamber’s GOP caucus in the new Legislature, are also among those who questioned 2020 election results.

Nesbitt signed onto a November 2020 letter from Republican lawmakers to Benson propping up baseless voter fraud allegations and asking for a full “audit.”

Hall presided over a Dec. 3, 2020, committee hearing featuring Trump’s then-personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani took over the meeting, pushed numerous unfounded election conspiracies and questioned “witnesses” without putting them under oath. The hearing was spoofed on “Saturday Night Live.”

House GOP caucus spokesperson Gideon D’Assandro confirmed on Friday that state Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford), who was removed from the caucus in April amid reports that he shared details from confidential caucus meetings, will be back in the caucus in the new session.

While there’s been a range of efforts by Republicans to deny the 2020 election results, Maddock is one of two incoming lawmakers who hit the road in January 2021 for “Stop the Steal” efforts in Washington, D.C.

Maddock is a strong ally of Trump, along with his wife, Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock, who was one of the fake GOP electors at the Michigan Capitol on Dec. 14 when the Electoral College met. Matt Maddock also was at that protest where the electors unsuccessfully tried to enter the building where the real Electoral College was meeting.

Maddock signed a letter urging former Vice President Mike Pence to delay certifying the election, has warned of an impending “Civil War” amid false election claims and spoke to a crowd in D.C. the day before Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Meshawn Maddock organized buses to transport Michiganders to Washington, D.C., for the January 2021 pro-Trump protests. On Jan. 6, she tweeted that the rally included “(the) most incredible crowd and sea of people I’ve ever walked with,” but later said she was not present for any of the violence.

State Rep.-elect Angela Rigas (R-Hastings) was at the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where pro-Trump protesters sought to stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s win. Rigas claims she was tear-gassed within the Capitol grounds and considers being called an “insurrectionist” and “terrorist” a “compliment.”

The riot left more than 140 police injured and five people dead.

The small business owner also participated in a 2020 Michigan Capitol rally against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 health orders. She was endorsed by Trump and joined state Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) this week for the launch of a far-right Grand New Party independent political action committee.

There are a total of 23 election deniers in the new state House, composing nearly 43% of the 54-member House GOP caucus.

Besides Hall, Maddock and Rigas, that list includes: Reps.-elect Mike Hoadley (R-Flint), Rachelle Smit (R-Grand Rapids) and Jamie Thompson (R-Dearborn); and current state Reps. Andrew Beeler (R-Port Huron), Bob Bezotte (R-Howell), Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Twp.), Ken Borton (R-Gaylord), Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), Andrew Fink (R-Hillsdale), Gregory Markkanen (R-Hancock), Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville), Mike Mueller (R-Linden), Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes), Brad Paquette (R-Niles), Bryan Posthumus (R-Cannon Twp.) and John Roth (R-Traverse City); and state Sens. Curtis VanderWall (R-Ludington), Pauline Wendzel (R-Watervliet), Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Twp.) and Dale Zorn (R-Ida).

Smit and Hoadley also were endorsed by Trump.

In the Senate, 13 of the 18 incoming Republicans are election deniers, making up 72% of the new Senate GOP caucus.

Those include Nesbitt, Trump-endorsed Sen.-elect Jonathan Lindsey (R-Sturgis) and incumbent state Sens. Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo), Kevin Daley (R-Lum), Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton), Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth), Ruth Johnson (R-Groveland Twp.), Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway), Rick Outman (R-Six Lakes), Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) and Roger Victory (R-Georgetown Twp.); state Rep. Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe); and former state Rep. Michael Webber (R-Rochester Hills).

As the Advance reported last week, state officials have indicated that Bumstead is under criminal investigation for allegedly forging signatures on absentee ballots during the 2016 election.

Despite the significant numbers of lawmakers winning who have questioned the results of the 2020 election, Byrum expressed optimism given big victories on Nov. 8 for voting rights and pro-democracy leaders.

“All of us who care about voters’ freedoms and free, fair elections are confident that the passage of Proposal 2 enhancing election security and access, plus new leaders who value our democracy can help us prevail over these anti-voter politicians and their anti-democracy friends,” Byrum said.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Aside from outrightly rejecting the reality that President Joe Biden won, which has almost certainly undermined public trust in secure elections, having a litany of 2020 deniers up and down the ballot could have big implications for future races.

Michigan is not alone in having many GOP candidates running for office (see also Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania). FiveThirtyEight reports that 60% of Americans will have an election denier on the ballot this year. And the Washington Post found that the majority of GOP nominees for the House, Senate and key statewide offices have denied or questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Given our status as a key state in 2024 — and having a trifecta of election deniers on the 2022 ballot — leaves the Great Lakes State among the most-watched on Nov. 8.

Experts warn that how votes will be counted and the outcomes of 2024 races — including the presidency — are at stake.

“Repeated false claims about 2020 have made election denial a key issue in many races this year, including for offices that will play a role in running or certifying the 2024 elections,” said Ian Vandewalker, senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program.

“We’ve come to a point where each side is saying the other is an existential threat to democracy. But elections don’t work if people don’t trust the result, so this rhetoric risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy if it shakes voters’ confidence in democracy.”

Whoever occupies the offices of governor, attorney general and secretary of state has significant power over election certification and outcomes. So do members of Congress.

The secretary of state —the chief election official — has the most direct impact on elections in most states. Governors can sign or veto legislation dictating the administration of elections, which could affect which voters are able to cast ballots and more. Executive orders concerning election administration in emergency situations could also come into play.

How much of a part governors play in the certification of electoral votes varies among states, but governors in every state are required to transmit those votes to Congress. If a governor chose to certify their state’s electors with fewer votes, the final say on certification would then go to state and federal courts.

Governors could also be empowered to select their state’s presidential electors in a new way if Congress were to reform how electoral votes are counted.

Members of Congress are charged with certifying electoral votes — the process that insurrectionists disrupted on Jan. 6, 2021. After pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol, 147 Republicans, including three from Michigan, voted to overturn the election results.

A recent report from the Washington, D.C.-based Defend Democracy Project also named Michigan’s GOP nominees for governor, secretary of state and attorney general — Tudor Dixon, Kristina Karamo and Matt DePerno, respectively — as among the top threats to democracy statewide.

But it doesn’t stop there. Aside from the top three statewide posts, there are at least three dozen candidates for Congress and the Legislature in Michigan who still doubt — to varying degrees — that the 2020 election was anything but safe and secure.

“Michigan’s slate of anti-democracy Republican candidates is incredibly concerning,” said Gunner Ramer, political director of the Republican Accountability Project launched in May 2020 by the Washington, D.C.-based Defending Democracy Together. “Having these types of Republicans, who continue to sow distrust in our electoral system, play any part in election administration could be potentially catastrophic for our democracy.”

Members of the pro-Trump mob destroy multimedia equipment. | Alex Kent

Here is the Advance’s roundup of all such candidates running for top offices and congressional seats.

Governor and lieutenant governor

Former right-wing commentator Tudor Dixon has repeatedly vocalized doubt in the 2020 election by accusing Democrats of “sloppy and obvious” voter fraud just days after the election.

“Steal an election then hide behind calls for unity and leftists lap it up,” Dixon tweeted in a Nov. 8, 2021, reply to a tweet from Trump.

She has publicly and falsely claimed that Trump won in Michigan as recently as May of this year.

Dixon was far from the only election denier running for governor. Other candidates, including Garrett Soldano and Ryan Kelley, falsely claimed that Trump won in 2020. Kelley was also present at the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in D.C. He is fighting misdemeanor charges stemming from his participation in the mob after being arrested by the FBI this summer.

Dixon is challenging Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the state’s top office. Whitmer has said she will accept the outcome of Michigan’s November election, whereas Dixon has not.

Dixon’s running mate, former state Rep. Shane Hernandez (R-Port Huron), also signaled doubt in the 2020 election by signing onto a letter calling for a so-called “forensic audit” of the process while he was still a state legislator, a popular idea from Trump supporters who don’t accept his loss.

More than 250 official state and local audits were conducted in Michigan in the wake of the 2020 election. Each uncovered no evidence of fraud or election security issues, but right-wing election conspiracists have continuously pushed for a more widespread audit.

“Should Republicans keep their majorities in the state Legislature, and Tudor Dixon wins, she could work with ‘Stop the Steal’ Republican state legislators to pass election-related legislation ahead of the 2024 election that negatively affects the voting process,” Ramer warned.

Republican nominee for Michigan governor Tudor Dixon and her running mate, Shane Hernandez, campaign in Lansing on Aug. 27, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

Attorney general

GOP Attorney General nominee Matthew DePerno has made no shortage of statements calling into question the integrity of the 2020 election.

DePerno has claimed there were rigged voting machines in Michigan, has repeatedly and falsely stated that Trump was the true winner in 2020, said he plans to prosecute his opponent, Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, for a number of baseless claims and more.

DePerno was the attorney behind a failed 2020 civil lawsuit claiming that a vote-tallying issue in Antrim County was evidence of possible widespread fraud. In it, DePerno incorrectly surmised that some voting machines in the county had been “compromised.” The issue was, in fact, found to be due to human error, which had been quickly resolved at the time. The suit was dismissed.

The lawyer has also been active in so-called “forensic audit” efforts in both Michigan and Arizona.

He is now under criminal investigation regarding his alleged participation in an effort to tamper with voting tabulator machines following the 2020 election, which he denies.

Nessel has spoken out against election misinformation and has said that any claims that call into question the security and fairness of Michigan’s election process are “wholly without merit.”

“If Matthew Deperno wins, he would be the leading legal official in the state and could open up investigations into the 2024 election results that would continue to sow distrust in our electoral system,” Ramer said.

Republican nominee for Michigan attorney general Matthew DePerno campaigns in Lansing on Aug. 27, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

Secretary of state

Running to oversee Michigan’s elections is Republican Secretary of State nominee Kristina Karamo, a former community college lecturer, who is also Trump-endorsed and has said she still has “major questions” about who won the presidency in 2020.

She is challenging Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic incumbent who has repeatedly noted the state’s election process is safe and secure and pointed to the more than 250 state and local audits confirming there was no widespread election fraud and confirming the 2020 election results.

In contrast, Karamo has repeatedly called the validity of the process into question and has falsely claimed that Trump won.

As a poll challenger in 2020, Karamo claimed in an affidavit that she saw voter fraud firsthand in Detroit, but she has not provided evidence. She has also criticized Benson for practices that have made voting in Michigan more accessible, like mailing out absentee ballot applications to all residents.

“The election of Kristina Karamo is dangerous to our democracy for two main reasons,” Ramer said. “As Michigan’s chief election officer, she could change the election process ahead of the 2024 election and she would have to certify the 2024 election results. Should a Democratic presidential candidate win the state of Michigan in 2024, Karamo has given no indication that she would certify the election results.”

Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock and SOS nominee Kristina Karamo at the Michigan Republican Party Endorsement Convention, April 23, 2022 | Allison R. Donahue

Congress

Here is a roundup of election deniers running for Congress in Michigan:

Jack Bergman — 1st Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet) is one of four congressional Republicans who signed onto a legal brief in support of a lawsuit that attempted, and ultimately failed, to delay the 2020 Electoral College vote to solidify Biden’s win. Bergman also voted not to certify some election results on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to deny Biden the presidency.

In addition to being involved in the Antrim County lawsuit with DePerno, Bergman has also claimed “voting irregularities,” “fraud” and a “lack of security in absentee voting” were at play in the 2020 election.

Bergman also voted against the Presidential Election Reform Act, which was passed by the U.S. House last month to reform the Electoral Count Act and prevent the subversion of future presidential elections.

He faces Democrat Bob Lorinser on the ballot for Nov. 8. Michigan’s new 1st District includes the whole of the Upper Peninsula and the northern swatch of the Lower Peninsula.

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference | Andrew Roth

John Moolenaar — 2nd Congressional District

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Midland) also signed onto the failed federal lawsuit challenging the 2020 election. He has since accepted the results of the election, with some reservations.

Moolenaar voted “no” on the Presidential Election Reform Act that seeks to reform the Electoral Count Act.

The incumbent faces Democrat Jerry Hilliard in November. Michigan’s 2nd District includes the west and central Michigan cities like Mount Pleasant, Manistee and Ludington.

John Gibbs — 3rd Congressional District

Small business owner John Gibbs is running for the new 3rd Congressional District in the Grand Rapids area against immigration attorney Hillary Scholten, a Democrat.

Gibbs also received an endorsement from Trump before ousting U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Grand Rapids) in the August Republican primary.

Much like his high-profile endorser, Gibbs has often called into question the results of the 2020 election, particularly with a focus on the merits of absentee ballots.

“What I want to do, two weeks from now, is win [the primary] by a large enough margin that we beat the cheating,” Gibbs said earlier this summer.

Gibbs pulled out a narrow win with a roughly 3.5% margin over Meijer, who did not contest the results.

Michigan’s 3rd District includes Grand Rapids, Grand Haven and Muskegon.

Bill Huizenga — 4th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) also signed onto the brief challenging the Electoral College vote. He has raised reservations about the 2020 election but has not fully denied Biden’s win. He is challenged by Democrat Joseph Alfonso.

Huizenga voted against reforming the Electoral Count Act.

Michigan’s 4th District encompasses cities including Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor and Holland on Michigan’s West coast.

Tim Walberg — 5th Congressional District

Along with Bergman, Moolenaar and Huizenga, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) also signed onto the legal brief in support of challenging Biden’s win. He has publicly claimed that the 2020 election contained “irregularities” and voted not to certify election results on Jan. 6, 2021 in key states.

Walberg also voted against the Presidential Election Reform Act.

Walberg will face Democrat Bart Goldberg on Nov. 8. Michigan’s 5th District includes a swath of southern Michigan and cities like Hillsdale, Jackson and Monroe.

Tom Barrett — 7th Congressional District

State Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Potterville) is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) for the newly drawn 7th Congressional District. Barrett was one of 11 state senators who signed onto a 2021 letter urging members of Congress to examine baseless claims of voter fraud.

A leaked version of the letter asked Congress to delay election certification “in the name of national unity” ahead of the Electoral College’s vote to certify Biden’s win, but that was not sent.

The 7th District now encompasses the Mid-Michigan cities of Lansing, Eaton Rapids and Owosso.

Republican congressional candidate Tom Barrett attends a Republican gubernatorial in Howell on May 13, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

Lisa McClain — 9th Congressional District

Running for the newly drawn 9th District is U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Romeo), who is among the Republicans who supported an investigation into the 2020 election.

She was elected for the first time in 2020, but claimed there were “deep flaws” and “irregularities” in the election process, despite no evidence to back up the claim. Along with Walberg and Bergman, she voted not to certify election results on Jan. 6, 2021 in some states.

McClain also voted “no” on the Presidential Election Reform Act.

Democrat Brian Steven Jaye is also vying to oust McClain to represent the district that includes some of Macomb County and much of Michigan’s Thumb area.

John James — 10th Congressional District

John James, a two-time former U.S. Senate candidate who previously lost against incumbents Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) and Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.), announced in January that he was again running for office, this time for Michigan’s 10th U.S. House District.

The seat is open after Democratic U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Waterford Twp.) and Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) both decided to run for the new 11th Congressional District, which Stevens won in the August primary.

Like other Trump-endorsed candidates, James has publicly doubted the integrity of Michigan’s election system and called for an investigation into the election results after his 2020 loss to Peters.

He had even prematurely declared victory, with former campaign strategist Stu Sandler writing in a since-deleted tweet that James had become Michigan’s first Black senator.

James is running against Democrat Carl Marlinga for the Macomb County-based district that includes Warren and Clinton Charter Township.

John James at President Donald Trump’s Battle Creek rally, Dec. 18, 2019 | Andrew Roth

Other candidates

In addition to these candidates, two more have not yet provided a stance either way on the 2020 election.

Those include Whittney Williams, a Republican seeking to oust incumbent U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) in Michigan’s 6th Congressional District; and Steven Elliott, a Republican challenging incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) for the 12th Congressional District.

GOP congressional candidates who do accept the election results are: Paul Junge, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) for the 8th Congressional District; Mark Ambrose, who is running against Stevens for the 11th Congressional District; and Martell D. Bivings, challenging U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) in the 13th Congressional District..

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

The Michigan State Police’s nine-month sexual assault and financial misconduct investigation into former House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) has concluded and has been turned over to Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Chatfield, who was Michigan’s youngest-ever House speaker when he was elected to the position in 2018, served until 2020. He is accused of sexually assaulting his sister-in-law for more than a decade starting when she was a child, but has denied the allegations, characterizing the relationship as a consensual “affair.”

The Michigan State Police (MSP) has been investigating the complaint since December 2021, when it was filed with the Lansing Police Department. The MSP wrapped most of that probe in May, submitting a preliminary report to Nessel, then offering additional information in August.

“MSP is no longer investigating this matter as it has been turned over to the AG’s investigators for completion,” MSP spokesperson Shanon Banner said in an email Monday. “Any further information or updates will come from the AG’s Office.”

The MSP has not made recommendations on charges, but has presented all evidence to Nessel for her office to potentially file them. It is working in partnership with the AG to help conclude her end of the investigation, according to the Detroit News.

That portion of the investigation looks into allegations of campaign funds directed to family members and legislative staffers, hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses given to Chatfield’s staffers and more financial improprieties.

Police searched the home of two of Lee Chatfield’s former top staffers in February.

Chatfield’s attorney, Mary Chartier, did not respond to a request for comment.

Nessel’s office is reportedly still continuing its part of the investigation into allegations involving financial improprieties when Chatfield was speaker. A spokesperson for Nessel did not immediately respond for comment.

Rebekah Chatfield, now 26, alleged last year that the assaults began when she was about 14 or 15 as a student at Burt Lake’s Northern Michigan Christian Academy and continued until about July 2021. Lee Chatfield was a teacher, coach and athletic director at the school before taking office in 2014. He is married with five children.

Rebekah Chatfield is married to Lee Chatfield’s brother, Aaron Chatfield, who has supported her in the allegations.

The MSP’s report included interviews and search warrants from late winter through early spring. Among the interviews are those with Rebekah Chatfield; Aaron Chatfield; Lee Chatfield’s brother, Paul; and Lee Chatfield’s wife, Stephanie. Lee Chatfield reportedly declined to interview with the police but his lawyer responded via email to some questions from investigators.

Search warrants detailed in the report include preservation notices sent to Snapchat, several phone seizures, three school computers, warrants at Northern Michigan Christian Academy, yearbooks and student records.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Dixon’s primary lead comes after a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump on Friday amid a campaign season rife with Trumpian talking points and right-wing rhetoric.

“God is good. Thank you, Michigan,” Dixon told a Grand Rapids audience of supporters around 10 p.m.

As of 11 p.m. Tuesday with 39% of precincts reporting, according to unofficial returns, Dixon has amassed 40.1% of the vote.

With just 23% in around 10 p.m., Dixon took a clear lead with 40.9% of the vote, but the Michigan Republican Party already declared her the winner. The party said on Twitter at 9:08 p.m. that she was “our candidate for governor” — which Dixon later retweeted.

Some analysts had called the race for Dixon before polls closed at 9 p.m. in four western Upper Peninsula precincts.

The Associated Press called the race for Dixon at 9:41 p.m.

Trailing behind are businessman Kevin Rinke with 20.9%, chiropractor Garrett Soldano with 19.2%, far-right activist Ryan Kelley with 15.6% and the Rev. Ralph Rebandt with 4.1%.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Michigan GOP abruptly canceled a watch party at a Lansing restaurant due to what spokesperson Gustavo Potela said were multiple threats to its building and staff.

Portela, who said that a bystander near the GOP party headquarters in Lansing threatened to shoot and burn the building down Tuesday morning, did not respond to a request for comment from the Advance asking whether the party has filed a police report about the alleged incidents.

Soldano conceded the race around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, telling supporters at his watch party, “I didn’t win.”

“As I have stated from the beginning, Republicans throughout the state must be focused on retiring Gretchen Whitmer,” Soldano said in a subsequent statement. “I will be casting my vote for Tudor Dixon in November. I call on all Republicans to continue fighting, and together we will defeat Gretchen Whitmer in November.”

Rinke also conceded in a Twitter statement.

“While tonight’s results are not what we had hoped for, the people of Michigan have decided on another candidate, and I want to congratulate @TudorDixon on her victory,” Rinke wrote. “My hope for the state of Michigan remains unchanged and I look forward to continuing our family’s work of bettering the state we love so much.”

During her victory speech, Dixon thanked Rinke, Soldano, Kelley and Rebandt for “running a very spirited campaign.” She spent much of her speech railing against Whitmer for everything from COVID-19 health policies to water issues in Benton Harbor.

“This is going to be an epic battle between a conservative businesswoman and mother, and a far-left birthing parent and career politician,” Dixon said.

Whitmer is a mother of two daughters. The “birthing parent” remark was ostensibly meant to be a jab at some on the left, including President Joe Biden, who have started to embrace more gender-neutral terms as a move toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

In a statement, Whitmer said Dixon has “made clear that she will drag Michigan backwards.”

“Dixon’s plans to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother and throw nurses in jail, gut funding for public education, reverse progress rebuilding Michigan’s infrastructure and sow district in our democracy are dangerous for Michigan women and families,” Whitmer continued.

Dixon is one of just five GOP gubernatorial candidates to make it onto the Aug. 2 ballot, after the state Bureau of Elections (BOE) kicked off five more gubernatorial hopefuls whose signature collecting campaigns were marred with fraud.

Financial adviser Michael Markey, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, businesswoman Donna Brandenburg, self-described “quality guru” Perry Johnson and Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown did not make it onto the ballot.

Dixon has been routinely criticized by her fellow GOP contenders for being “establishment,” as she has landed the endorsement and financial backing — to the tune of about $1 million — of the wealthy and politically influential DeVos family.

She also gained endorsements from GOP former Michigan Gov. John Engler, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), as well as powerful right-wing groups like the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and Right to Life of Michigan.

While other candidates vied for the Trump endorsement, Dixon was the only GOP gubernatorial candidate Trump mentioned by name during an April rally in Michigan. Trump praised her again during a fundraiser for Dixon in February.

All candidates have parroted Trump’s repeated lie that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Most, including Dixon, have falsely claimed that the election was stolen from Trump.

“Tonight we are dismayed to see the GOP celebrate and validate the gubernatorial candidacy of a well-known election denier, who has repeatedly shown she is a danger to our democracy,” said Nancy Wang, executive director of the nonpartisan group Voters Not Politicians.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

State Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) joined the former head of the Michigan GOP and a national elections expert on Thursday to talk Jan. 6 committee hearings in the U.S. House, while doubling down on his call to have some of his GOP colleagues investigated.

“An assault on our democracy, to steal the vote from the people and subvert our election results in Michigan, is an assault on our nation and its founding ideals,” Tate said.

The Democrat joined Jeff Timmer, former Michigan GOP executive director who is now a consultant for both the Lincoln Project and Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel’s campaign; and Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) for the virtual press conference.

Tate last week introduced a House resolution urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate 11 Republican House members for the crime of seditious conspiracy.

State Reps. Gary Eisen (R-St. Clair Twp.), John Reilly (R-Oakland Twp.), Julie Alexander (R-Hanover), Matt Maddock (R-Milford), Daire Rendon (R-Lake City), Beth Griffin (R-Mattawan), Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton), Brad Paquette (R-Niles), Rodney Wakeman (R-Saginaw Twp.), Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) and Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) all put their names to briefs in a failed lawsuit that sought to overturn election results.

Maddock, Rendon, Reilly, Griffin and Alexander also attempted to enter the Michigan Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, with a slate of 16 fake Republican electors.

During the virtual press conference Thursday, Tate said he has only had “brief interactions” with the Republicans who were named in his resolution since introducing it, but “nothing in terms of substance.” He did not elaborate what the interactions entailed.

When pressed on why he specifically believes the 11 state representatives may have committed the crime of seditious conspiracy — a federal offense that carries up to 20 years in prison — Tate said the members went against their oath of office to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.

“For us not to look into this … it reduces the faith and confidence in our elected system as well as our democratic institutions,” Tate said.

Tate, Timmer and Bookbinder also discussed how former President Donald Trump and his allies, including in key states like Michigan, attempted to illegally overthrow the election in his favor. They cited the Jan. 6 House panel, which recently held its final hearing this summer and showcased what Trump failed to do during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The press conference was hosted by the Defend Democracy Project.

“I, at least, have been blown away by how much we have learned at every single one of those eight hearings, and particularly what we’ve learned in terms of the vast evidence of what Donald Trump and his allies knew,” Bookbinder said.

Reiterating that Trump knew he had rightfully lost the election but chose to pursue the election anyway, Bookbinder added: “When you have a president who seeks to stay in power, despite losing an election, despite the will of the people, that is an attempt to install a dictator. That is an attempt to install a dictatorship.”

Timmer served as the Michigan Republican Party Executive Director from 2005 to 2009. He left the party during the Trump era.

“I never thought I would have to be standing here, telling my former Republican colleagues that truth and facts matter,” Timmer said.

He shared that within conversations he’s had with high level officials in the Republican Party, those officials say that the “rhetoric from Trump on down about the stolen election has left them with no choice but to continue this … façade.”

“They know that there wasn’t fraud, that there weren’t irregularities, but they feel that they have no choice given where their base, where their voters come down on this issue.”

Timmer emphasized that this effort did not stop after Jan. 6, 2021, but it is a process that is “continuing.”

“There are still efforts being made to install election deniers in these county canvassing positions or equivalent in other states, where they’re looking to put in place people who will throw wrenches into the certification of the 2022 election and the 2024 election, depending on whether or not their side wins or loses.

“If democracy has to rely on who is counting the votes, rather than we all trust in the fairness of who’s counting the votes, we’re in real trouble.”

On Tate’s resolution to investigate the Michigan representatives, Bookbinder zeroed in on Maddock, Rendon, Reilly, Griffin and Alexander and said they could be particularly exposed to possible charges since they attempted to push through the slate of false electors.

“It is clear that the fake elector scheme is one that is of central interest to the Department of Justice,” Bookbinder said.

“The efforts to substitute false slates of electors seems straight down the middle violation of that federal offense, at the very least. So I think for Michigan state representatives who were centrally involved in those efforts to push through a false slate of electors, there really could be some exposure there.”

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Following an eventful few months in the national spotlight, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) announced Thursday that she has pulled in a more than $1 million fundraising haul to flip the GOP-controlled Michigan Senate.

Those funds from more than 11,000 donors came in over the last three months, McMorrow said.

“The Michigan Senate has been under GOP control longer than I’ve been alive,” she said in a statement. “Michiganders are sick and tired of an extremist minority rigging the system to hold onto power. With fair maps that finally align with the makeup of the state, we’re going to flip the Michigan Senate to give the power back to the people.”

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has highlighted both chambers of the Michigan Legislature as top national targets for Democrats to flip after the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) completed new maps for each of Michigan’s congressional, state Senate and state House districts months ago for the first time.

McMorrow is currently running for her second Senate term in a primary that pits her against state Sen. Marshall Bullock (D-Detroit), the only Michigan race that involves two sitting senators. The Royal Oak Democrat flipped her district blue when she won in 2018.

She became a burgeoning national figure in April, when her floor speech — hitting back against state Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) for baselessly accusing her of sexualizing children by standing up for LGBTQ+ issues — went viral. The video now has more than 15.2 million views.

McMorrow received a supportive phone call from President Joe Biden several days later and has been featured in many national media stories.

Last week, she spoke at a U.S. congressional hearing about the dangers of a post-Roe v. Wade country. The senator had undergone a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure last year to remove a displaced IUD that had punctured through her uterus, and testified that she might have died if not for the physicians who knew how to perform abortion procedures.

McMorrow is also traveling to Iowa next month as a star guest at a Democratic fundraiser.

Political figures visiting Iowa usually sets off speculation about a possible presidential run.

The more than $1 million she has raised will be split between the Michigan Senate Democratic Fund, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, McMorrow’s leadership fund A More Perfect Michigan and McMorrow’s own candidate committee.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and Twitter.

Four of the five remaining GOP candidates for governor squared off for a debate Thursday on Mackinac Island, with the discussion running the gamut from banning abortion to mass shootings, and from election fraud claims to slashing state spending.

Since the GOP gubernatorial candidates are unvaccinated against COVID-19, the event was held in an outdoor tent on the front lawn of the Grand Hotel as part of the Mackinac Island Policy Conference. Far-right activist Ryan Kelley boycotted the event in protest of the conference’s vaccine requirement, even though it had been waived for gubernatorial candidates and debate attendees.

Businessman Kevin Rinke, right-wing media personality Tudor Dixon, chiropractor Garrett Soldano and the Rev. Ralph Rebandt participated in the debate. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Nov. 8.

Five candidates — financial adviser Michael Markey, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, businesswoman Donna Brandenburg, self-described “quality guru” Perry Johnson and Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown — have been kicked off the ballot as of now for not submitting enough valid signatures.

Following recent mass shootings like those in New York and Texas last month, the candidates were asked about guns in schools. They emphasized militarizing schools and tackling mental health issues as topline solutions to prevent further deaths instead of taking action on guns.

Polling has consistently shown support for gun control, such as a new Politico/Morning Consult survey showing 88% support universal background checks, 67% support an assault weapons ban and 84% support “red flag” laws.

“Our schools right now are a soft target. We have to make sure we harden our schools,” Dixon said, suggesting that some of the unused COVID-19 funds should be put toward that end.

Rinke suggested that former military members should train hall monitors, while Soldano said teachers should be armed and schools should only have one point of entry.

“We don’t have a gun problem; we have a mental health crisis,” Soldano said.

Rebandt took a different route and said that the issue of mass shootings stems from the fact that “we’ve taken God out of the classroom.”

Candidates also backed the Secure MI Vote initiative, which Republicans rolled out after Whitmer vetoed a slew of voter suppression bills put forward by the GOP-led Legislature. As many did at a debate in Livingston County last month, several hopefuls continued to espouse conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election that former President Donald Trump lost.

COVID-19 conspiracies also abounded, with most of those casting a negative light on Whitmer, similar to comments made at the Livingston County forum.

Soldano noted that in addition to supporting medical and religious waivers for COVID-19, he would add a “philosophical waiver” as an option to refuse the vaccine.

Dixon pledged to make sure all of the bills pass if she becomes governor.

Abortion was another area with little disagreement among the GOP candidates, who all oppose a ban and described themselves Thursday as “unapologetically pro-life.”

Earlier on Thursday, Whitmer was enthusiastically cheered by business leaders, lobbyists and lawmakers when she vowed in her keynote address to continue her fight for reproductive rights.

Businessman Kevin Rinke, right-wing media personality Tudor Dixon, chiropractor Garrett Soldano and the Rev. Ralph Rebandt participated in the debate. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Nov. 8.

Five candidates — financial adviser Michael Markey, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, businesswoman Donna Brandenburg, self-described “quality guru” Perry Johnson and Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown — have been kicked off the ballot as of now for not submitting enough valid signatures.

Following recent mass shootings like those in New York and Texas last month, the candidates were asked about guns in schools. They emphasized militarizing schools and tackling mental health issues as topline solutions to prevent further deaths instead of taking action on guns.

Polling has consistently shown support for gun control, such as a new Politico/Morning Consult survey showing 88% support universal background checks, 67% support an assault weapons ban and 84% support “red flag” laws.

“Our schools right now are a soft target. We have to make sure we harden our schools,” Dixon said, suggesting that some of the unused COVID-19 funds should be put toward that end.

Rinke suggested that former military members should train hall monitors, while Soldano said teachers should be armed and schools should only have one point of entry.

“We don’t have a gun problem; we have a mental health crisis,” Soldano said.

Rebandt took a different route and said that the issue of mass shootings stems from the fact that “we’ve taken God out of the classroom.”

Candidates also backed the Secure MI Vote initiative, which Republicans rolled out after Whitmer vetoed a slew of voter suppression bills put forward by the GOP-led Legislature. As many did at a debate in Livingston County last month, several hopefuls continued to espouse conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election that former President Donald Trump lost.

COVID-19 conspiracies also abounded, with most of those casting a negative light on Whitmer, similar to comments made at the Livingston County forum.

Soldano noted that in addition to supporting medical and religious waivers for COVID-19, he would add a “philosophical waiver” as an option to refuse the vaccine.

Dixon pledged to make sure all of the bills pass if she becomes governor.

Abortion was another area with little disagreement among the GOP candidates, who all oppose a ban and described themselves Thursday as “unapologetically pro-life.”

Earlier on Thursday, Whitmer was enthusiastically cheered by business leaders, lobbyists and lawmakers when she vowed in her keynote address to continue her fight for reproductive rights.