Political newcomers Matthew DePerno and Kristina Karamo win convention to clear path to face Democratic incumbents in the fall
Two candidates who were endorsed by Donald Trump won Michigan Republicans’ backing for attorney general and secretary of state at a convention Saturday, clearing their path to face Democratic incumbents in the fall.
The meeting of thousands of delegates was a test of Trump’s clout in the party.
His allies – attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, a lawyer, and secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo, a community college instructor – emerged victorious from three-person fields at the 10-hour “endorsement” convention in downtown Grand Rapids.
The political newcomers support Trump’s false claims about his 2020 loss in the swing state. They will be officially nominated at a second convention in August and challenge Democratic attorney general Dana Nessel and secretary of state Jocelyn Benson in November.
Karamo won handily with two-thirds of the vote. DePerno was just shy of the majority needed in an initial vote. But he won a runoff over former legislative leader Tom Leonard that was paused and later restarted after the ballot order of races did not match what was shown on screens flanking the stage.
Trump has said his preferred candidates would not let Michigan be “stolen” in the next presidential election. He lost the state by 154,000 votes to Joe Biden. Trump’s slate drew criticism, however, within a wing of the GOP that views the...
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa warns pet owners about scammers posing as representatives and demanding money to reclaim lost pets DES MOINES, Iowa — The Animal Rescue League of Iowa has issued a ...