DETROIT — Verbal clashes dominated the first two hours of a Republican convention Monday night in Macomb County, one of Michigan's largest, opening a period of 13 days that could redefine the state party's future.
Another battle was happening in Kent County over who would oversee the county convention. The fight resulted in a close vote between the county chairman and an ally of Kalamazoo lawyer Matthew DePerno, who vowed to "storm the conventions" in a bid to get delegates who would back his nomination for attorney general against former House Speaker Tom Leonard of DeWitt.
Across Michigan, GOP members gathered Monday for county meetings to choose delegates to send to the state convention in Grand Rapids on April 23, where nominees for attorney general, secretary of state and other offices will be officially endorsed.
The battles focused on the pivotal selection of those state convention delegates, revealing both the energy that could spur Republicans forward ahead of the 2022 election and the division that could sink them.
GOP candidates DePerno, Leonard and state Rep. Ryan Berman of Commerce Township are in a high-profile race for the party's attorney general nomination in which former President Donald Trump has endorsed DePerno. Leonard lost to Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel by less than 3 percentage points in 2018 and was originally seen as the front-runner for the nomination until Trump backed DePerno.
In the Trump stronghold of Macomb County, Michigan's third most populous county, Republicans began their meeting Monday at the Shelby Gardens in Shelby Township shouting at one another. One faction attempted to replace Chairman Mark Forton, an ardent supporter of Trump and a leader who has openly criticized other members of the party for not doing enough to push an audit of the 2020 election.
"If you people are going to try to vote out the best board you’ve ever had, that’s fine, but you’re going to hear what we did before you do it," Forton told the crowd.
Other Republicans, including 10th Congressional District Chairman Stan Grot of Shelby Township, called for immediate votes on whether to keep Forton as chairman. There were chants of "Let Mark talk," and some Republicans got in others' faces as the debate over who should lead the meeting ensued.
One speaker described the convention as "heated" and threatened to have people thrown out as two police officers stood in the back of the room.
"Unfortunately, this is a complete embarrassment. The current leadership of our party is making a complete embarrassment of our party," said Joseph Aragona, a Republican from Clinton Township who is running for the state House. "We should be taking all of this energy and focusing it into November, rather than fighting for our own little piece of the pie."
Forton suggested the meeting, which started at 7 p.m., could last until 2 a.m. Voting was underway at 8:30 p.m.
At one point, Forton asked the crowd if Trump had won the 2020 election. Attendees erupted in applause. Trump lost Michigan's certified vote to Democrat Joe Biden by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points. But Trump has maintained false claims that fraud cost him the race.
"That’s why they want us out of there because our voice is too big and they don’t like it," Forton said.
About 600 people were in attendance for the Macomb County GOP convention. About 288 of them were precinct delegates, according to the party's count.
At the Kent County GOP convention, media were barred from the ballroom at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids where the meeting was being held. County Chairman Rob VerHeulen said space was tight at the center and referred further questions to the county party’s executive director Michael Sullivan.
Sullivan declined comment.
A large share of the county’s 285 delegates streamed through the lobby and into the Imperial Ballroom where the party was expected to whittle down the number of delegates.
John Yob, who is working on DePerno’s campaign, said he expected the process to be “relatively smooth” in Kent County and said his client’s calls to “storm the convention” were a ploy to generate excitement within the Republican Party base.
“It was just meant to get a lot of attention so that people would come out and participate in the party because the Republican Party will benefit by having a strong grassroots organization just like in 2010, when the Tea Party wave happened,” Yob said. “…The trick is to kind of harness that energy to elect Republicans in November.”
But shortly after convening, a move was made on the convention floor to replace VerHeulen with DePerno supporter Keith Hinkle, according to two sources inside the room. VerHeulen won the first round before delegates called for a roll call vote.
On third vote, VerHeulen prevailed 75-66 over Hinkle, according to the two sources.
The convention brought together U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids Township, who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in January 2021 for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and his GOP challenger John Gibbs, who was endorsed by Trump earlier this year. During a roll call vote on VerHeulen's chairmanship, the crowd booed when Meijer's name was called on to vote, according to the sources.
At the county gatherings, GOP precinct delegates are choosing about 2,500 Republicans and about 2,500 alternates who get to participate in the state convention.
The candidates won't be formally endorsed by the party until August, but gaining the endorsement of the April 23 convention is meant to clear their paths. Candidates want to have more of their supporters selected to go to the state convention to boost their chances of winning the nomination and hope to cut into their opponents' delegate wins.
DePerno and Leonard have been organizing and recruiting across the state to get their supporters picked for the Grand Rapids convention. DePerno's campaign has urged its backers to "storm" upcoming Republican county conventions.
"Every one of you delegates, raise your hand right now. I need every one of you to go to county conventions on April 11. It's time we storm the convention," DePerno told the crowd at a rally featuring former President Donald Trump on April 2. "It is time for the grassroots to unite.
"And if you're not a delegate, you still need to go to county convention. It is time to storm the convention."
The latter part of the comment raised the eyebrows of Republican insiders in Michigan, where the integrity of the 2020 elections remains a point of division and where county conventions are meant to be a venue for elected precinct delegates to vote on whom to send to the state convention.
Under GOP rules, a Michigan Republican Party committee must meet by Saturday to consider credential challenges to delegates who are elected.
Hundreds of convention-goers filled the Legacy Ballroom at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, where Oakland County Republican Party Chairman Rocky Raczkowski made it clear he was determined to keep order.
Delegates were allowed to sit near the front, but non-delegates, media and other “guests” had to sit in the back in a special section, Raczkowski announced.
“We’re here to fight for the next generation of our nation,” Raczkowski said at one point.
Candidates were allowed to speak. Among them was Kristina Karamo, an Oak Park community college educator who is seeking the GOP bid for secretary of state against state Rep. Beau LaFave of Iron Mountain and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Barry.
“We are going to make sure every operation of this office is run under the rule of law, and to your benefit,” Karamo said.
Two of the three hopefuls running for attorney general addressed the crowd, including Berman of Commerce Township.
“We can’t put just any Republican on the ballot,” Berman said. “We need to turn the independents, the Democrats, the soft Republicans. We need someone who can do it, and I’m the only one who has done it.
A large crowd gathered at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi for the Oakland County Republican Party convention. After one attorney general previously vowed to "storm the conventions," Oakland County GOP Chairman Rocky Raczkowski declared: "We’re going to be civil, and we’re going to be fair.”
“I’m the one to unite our party.”
He was followed by DePerno, who was welcomed with a raucous ovation, the loudest of the early evening, with portions of the room standing for their applause. He promised that “we are going to take back this state in November.”
“I am the candidate who can beat Dana Nessel,” DePerno said.
After the candidates finished their brief speeches, Raczkowski waved a copy of the state party's rules and declared: "We’re going to be civil, and we’re going to be fair.”
Most spots for the statewide convention are supposed to go to officially elected county delegates. But for unfilled delegate spots, up to 15% of them can be filled by guests who are elevated to delegate or voting status, Raczkowski explained, calling it the “hard-working Republican rule.”
But the "hard-working" rule proposal for the county split the audience. About as many people said “no” as raised their hands in favor.
In a voice vote, the delegates eventually approved letting the county convention give up to 15% of its state convention positions to people who aren't precinct delegates — but treat them as though they were precinct delegates.
There were no fireworks in Wayne County, where the party met by congressional district. The 13th District wrapped up in less than two hours. DePerno made an appearance but did not address the room.
Dave Schumacher, 70, of Grosse Pointe Woods, is a delegate and welcomed the peaceful choices of 63 delegates and 22 alternates.
“It’s really about personalities tonight,” he said, adding Chairwoman Monica Palmer helped shepherd a process with rules and an orderly fashion, “and we’re not going to let” outsiders come in to interfere.
Schumacher said he didn’t want to reveal whom he was supporting in the attorney general nomination race, but said of DePerno, “I didn’t particularly like the word he used, storm, because he brought up another image.”
Jason Von-Mueller, 43, of Taylor, wore a shirt supporting Leonard and was expecting problems. He even brought a backpack of safety gear that he showed off to prove he was serious. But he didn’t need it.
“These people, they don’t understand the rules,” Von-Mueller said. “When you make statements like storm and demand … you know there are some unstable people who would take that as a command.”
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Staff Writer Leonard N. Fleming contributed.
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