There have been plenty of headlines in recent weeks announcing that, when it comes to the 2024 election, Democrats have a problem in the state of Michigan. Without question, President Joe Biden has some real work ahead of him in the state, particularly as it concerns the state’s Arab-American vote. But there’s another side to the Michigan story, one that’s gone largely overlooked.
For all the issues Democrats are facing, the Michigan Republican Party appears to be collapsing in on itself — like a souffle, or a hot air balloon rapidly losing helium. Something highly collapsible.
Not one, but two consecutive meetings of the Michigan Republican Party broke out into physical altercations, one of which involved testicle-kicking, chair-slamming, and a broken rib.
It all started last year, when Michigan Republicans chose Kristina Karamo to be the new head of the Michigan State Republican Party. Karamo was a vocal election denier who had just lost the race for Michigan Secretary of State and never conceded. Connection? Possibly.
But Michigan Republicans decided to put Karamo in charge of their party anyway. And then they immediately started fighting about it — literally. That spring, not one, but two consecutive meetings of the Michigan Republican Party broke out into physical altercations, one of which involved testicle-kicking, chair-slamming, and a broken rib. (If you have never been to a meeting of the Michigan Republican Party, this is not usually what happens).
After Karamo’s first year as chair, the state’s Republican Party was in dire financial straits, which led to accusations that Karamo misused party funds. In January, a faction of the party voted to oust Karamo and elected a new party chair. The only problem was that Karamo is an election denier — and election deniers do not admit defeat or concede power. That’s kind of their whole schtick.
So began the Michigan Republican Party’s civil war.
Karamo refused to accept that she was…
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