President Donald Trump’s candidate to lead the Michigan Republican Party lost her bid to become the GOP’s state chairwoman.
Trump endorsed Meshawn Maddock, the former co-chairwoman of the state party, on Thursday, two days before 1,900 delegates gathered to elect the next party chair at a Detroit convention.
CPAC THEME: ‘AMERICA IS BACK ON TRACK’
But on Saturday, over 60% of the delegates voted to elect Republican State Sen. Jim Runestad to lead Michigan’s GOP.
“We are going to turn the grassroots into a machine, along with the state party, to defeat the Democrats,” Runestad told the convention.
Delegate Josh Powell said he thought “Trump probably made the endorsement (of Maddock) on about 30 seconds worth of information,” in comments to the Detroit Free Press.
“I respect his endorsement, but the internal politics is different,” Powell said.
When Trump endorsed Maddock earlier this week, he hailed her as someone who “has been with me since Day One, and has been key to our many Republican Victories in Michigan, including our HISTORIC WIN in 2024.”
WHAT IS DOGE? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
Maddock responded to the endorsement with a social media post saying, “Not gonna lie this made my heart skip.”
However, in an interview on Thursday, Maddock said she could win the chair election with or without Trump’s endorsement, telling the Detroit News that “delegates in Michigan don’t like being told what to do on anything.”
Some delegates raised concerns about Maddock, who is also the wife of state Republican Rep. Matt Maddock, because she was one of multiple Michigan Republicans charged as a “fake elector” after signing a certificate stating Trump won the state’s 2020 presidential election. Maddock has fiercely rejected the charges, saying State Attorney General Dana Nessel is “using her office as a weapon against the citizens.”
On Saturday, Maddock made a gesture of “party unity” after she lost the election to Runestad.
“In the spirit of party unity, I would like to make a motion to cast a unanimous ballot for my senator Jim Runestad,” she said in a brief concession address to the delegates.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Now, Runestad will be tasked with leading state Republicans to victory during the 2026 midterm elections, which promises to be a tough battle for the Right.
“I have been winning elections because I brought in the dollars,” he told delegates. “And as your next MIGOP chairman, I will raise the funds we need to defeat the Democrats.”
