Big Money Lost Control of Michigan’s Republican Party

Big money has traditionally controlled the Republican Party, but this is changing as everyday citizens are stepping up and taking active roles in politics. These upstart citizens within the Republican Party are commonly called racists and election deniers, but these individuals are undeterred by ad hominem attacks; they care about ideas.

On February 18, 2023 the Michigan Republican Party elected Kristina Karamo as its chairperson. According to prevailing sentiments in our society, this should have been a great accomplishment. Kristina Karamo is the first black woman to chair the Michigan GOP. If we’ve learned anything from the Biden presidential administration, it is that “representation matters.” Yet at no point did anyone campaign for Kristina Karamo on the basis of race.

There were multiple candidates for chair with varying levels of name recognition. The prevailing theme from the body of delegates appeared to be a mistrust of any hint of what is called “establishment” support. This was made evident by the fact the outgoing chair, Ron Weiser, was not present. His main source of influence seemed to be money, as he personally funded the previous Republican Party Convention. Another candidate, Matt Deperno, held endorsements from Donald Trump and Mike Lindell, but despite having establishment support, the voting body coalesced around Karamo.

At the same convention, Rola Makki was elected Outreach Vice Chair. The first Muslim woman to become an official of the state party, she was as an organizer of a group of over 800 parents to protest the sexualization of children in schools in Dearborn, Michigan. In that protest, people of all faiths joined together to protect American children, regardless of race, religion or intersectionality.

Makki and Karamo were not elected because of their race or religion. As we would expect in the Land of the Free, they were elected because the majority of the voting body believed in their ideas and actions.

As a side note regarding the GOP convention, it was Ottawa County’s own Joe Moss, one of the Board of Commissioners who voted to eliminate the county’s DEI Committee, who nominated GOP chair candidate and eventual winner Kristina Karamo.