Split in MIGOP leaves about 200 elected delegates excluded from Grand Rapids convention

LANSING — About 200 delegates from 25 Michigan counties, including the Republican stronghold of Ottawa County, will be excluded from Saturday's Republican convention in Grand Rapids because they missed the Feb. 21 deadline to register for the event, amid party infighting, officials said Thursday.

Pete Hoekstra, who a judge ruled Tuesday is the lawful chair of the Michigan Republican Party, at least pending an appeal and a trial scheduled for June, is convening a Saturday convention in Grand Rapids to select 39 delegates for the Republican National Convention in July. Kristina Karamo, who was voted out as the party's chair by state committee members at a meeting Jan. 6, earlier called a Detroit convention for the same day.

Most county chairs sent their delegate lists to both Hoekstra, whose leadership is also endorsed by the Republican National Committee, and Karamo. But 25 counties only registered delegates for the Detroit convention, though some of them backtracked after Kent County Circuit Judge Joseph Rossi ruled Feb. 27 that Karamo had been lawfully removed and ordered her to stop identifying herself as party chair.

Logistically, it was by then too difficult to get those delegates credentialed, though the party repeatedly reached out to county chairs earlier to encourage them to send the required information, Hoekstra said Thursday.

"It creates some heartburn — it created some heartburn for me," Hoekstra said. "We bent over backwards. We called. We emailed. Please submit your list. Otherwise, we are going to be put in a bind."

It's possible some of the affected delegates may have opted for the Detroit meeting in any case, Hoekstra said.

The exclusion applies to delegates elected at county conventions in the affected counties but not to "at-large" delegates from those counties, such as state lawmakers and party officials.

The party has credentialed about 1,900 delegates, Hoekstra said. Because delegates to the national convention will be chosen by congressional district, each district will still be able to fill its allotment of national convention delegates by drawing them from counties in the same congressional district whose delegates were not excluded, officials said.

The only possible exception is the 1st congressional district, which takes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. There, many counties are among the excluded and some delegates who are not excluded are opting to attend the Detroit convention anyway.

"Whatever THEY decide to do will determine where we caucus on Saturday," Daire Rendon, chair of the 1st congressional district, said in an email to the Free Press. "I was elected to represent their voices, and I will not stop doing that now."

Cheryl Costantino, chair of the 13th congressional district, said she is freeing her delegates to attend whichever convention they choose.

"It's split, but slightly leaning toward Grand Rapids," she said.

On Thursday, the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected Karamo's request to suspend Rossi's order pending her appeal. Karamo asked for an emergency ruling by Friday in light of Saturday's convention, but a three-judge panel said no.

Hoekstra said there has not been swift compliance in turning over control of the party website and bank accounts, though he is not certain that is all Karamo's doing.

"We're going through the process," Hoekstra said. "I wouldn't say there are people who are facilitating a smooth and fast transfer." However, if issues continue beyond a few days, "we have legal recourse," he said.

Jim Copas, chief of staff to Karamo, said he expects a large turnout in Detroit Saturday and still believes the Grand Rapids meeting will ultimately be ruled unlawful.

"Last I heard, 90% of the total delegate base registered for Detroit," Copas said. "Maybe a good number of them also registered for Grand Rapids."

Copas said he will attend the Detroit meeting but he will advise Karamo not to attend as she could face potential legal jeopardy if seen as acting as party chair.

Counties whose delegates are excluded from the Grand Rapids convention are: Alcona, Alger, Antrim, Arenac, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Gratiot, Huron, Iosco, Keweenaw, Mackinac, Menominee, Missaukee, Montmorency, Oceana, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Ottawa, Presque Isle, Schoolcraft, and St. Clair.

The split in the Michigan Republican Party is expected to significantly disrupt — and possibly duplicate — Saturday's selection of delegates to this summer's Republican National Convention, but not to impact the ultimate outcome.

Whether delegates selected in Grand Rapids are ultimately seated at the July national convention in Milwaukee, or ones endorsed at a competing convention in Detroit are ultimately found to be legitimate, it's expected all or nearly all of the 39 delegates selected at either meeting will be pledged to support former President Donald Trump.

The RNC has authority over which delegates are seated in Milwaukee.

Earlier, 16 of Michigan's GOP delegates were awarded through Tuesday's presidential primary, with 12 awarded to Trump and four to Nikki Haley.

At each convention Saturday, delegates elected to represent each of the state's 13 congressional districts are expected to meet separately to allocate three nominating delegates for each district.

Additional business planned for Grand Rapids includes the election of a Michigan committeeman and committeewoman to the Republican National Committee.

Candidates for committeeman are Dr. Rob Steele, who is seeking a third four-year term, and Ralph Rebandt, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2022.

Candidates for committeewoman, to succeed Kathy Berden, who has moved to Tennessee, are longtime party activist Linda Lee Tarver, Bernadette Smith, who is currently the party's ethnic vice-chair, and Hima Kolanagireddy, who is chair of the 6th congressional district.

At the Detroit meeting, Republicans in attendance are expected to reaffirm what they see as Karamo's continued leadership of the state party.

Free Press staff writer Todd Spangler contributed to this report.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan GOP split excludes 200 delegates from Grand Rapids convention