GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Michigan Republican Party headed into a runoff election for attorney general after delegates on Saturday delivered a victory for former President Donald Trump's preferred secretary of state candidate, Kristina Karamo.
Kalamazoo lawyer Matt DePerno, whom Trump endorsed for attorney general, was locked in a tight race with former House Speaker Tom Leonard of DeWitt, requiring a second round of voting. Third place finisher State Rep. Ryan Berman of Commerce Township quickly backed Leonard and began campaigning for the former speaker's nomination ahead of a second round of voting.
The renewed campaigning was prompted because DePerno gained 49% of the votes on the first ballot, falling just short of the 50% threshold to take the Michigan GOP convention's endorsement. Leonard got 40%.
Berman, who got 10%, will fall off in the next round of voting, leaving delegates to choose between Leonard and DePerno.
DePerno was close to scoring the endorsement. But Berman threw his backing behind Leonard and was working delegates on the convention floor with the former House speaker ahead of the second vote.
"Tom has a record of service to our Constitution and he will take a winning, conservative message to Michigan voters," Berman said in a statement sent to delegates. "Tom is our best chance to fire (Democratic Attorney General) Dana Nessel, and conservatives should unite behind him."
Walking around the convention floor after the first vote, Berman was telling delegates that he didn't believe DePerno can win the November election against Nessel, who defeated Leonard by less than 3 percentage points in 2018. Berman said he asked to address the full convention, but Michigan GOP leadership turned him down.
Karamo, an Oak Park educator, got 67% of the vote in her three-way contest for secretary of state on the first ballot. State Rep. Beau LaFave of Iron Mountain received 19%, and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry got 13%.
After winning, party leaders allowed Karamo to speak from the stage and urged delegates to back DePerno for attorney general.
"In order to continue my fight, I need your help right now. I need you in the runoff to support Matt DePerno for attorney general," Karamo told the crowd.
Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser privately encouraged Leonard to drop his bid for attorney general and run for Congress instead, after Trump endorsed DePerno, as The Detroit News first reported two weeks ago. In mid-March, Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock endorsed DePerno for attorney general.
Thousands of Michigan Republicans gathered in Grand Rapids Saturday for the endorsement convention that will help set the future of their party and reveal the reach of former President Donald Trump's influence.
The convention, where about 2,200 delegates had votes, began at 10 a.m. at DeVos Place.
Many eyes were focused on the attorney general race. Trump had attempted to bolster DePerno's campaign in recent weeks. His efforts have included visiting Macomb County for a rally on April 2. DePerno rose to prominence by spearheading litigation to challenge election results in northern Michigan's Antrim County.
Robert Wiley of Petoskey, an alternate delegate at the convention, supported DePerno and Karamo.
Wiley contended Saturday the media hadn't given concerns about the 2020 election proper coverage. Trump lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points. Wiley labeled Trump the leader of the Republican Party.
"If they don't win, I probably won't say a word all the way home," Wiley said. "I'll be very disappointed, very sad."
During a telephone town hall on Wednesday, the former president described the GOP attorney general contest as "one of the most important" races in the country.
"This choice is not just about 2022," Trump said. "This is about ensuring the state of Michigan cannot be stolen from Republicans in 2024 or ever again.
"Matt will stop it. Tom will not. He has not got the capability to stop it. And he had his chance, and he refused to do it. And people were shocked."
U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., spoke in support of DePerno on Saturday and said Trump had called her about him. Trump asked her for a "favor," she said, not identifying what the specific favor was.
"We need Matt DePerno because we need somebody, who like you, is a fighter, who will fight for election integrity, who will fight for our children, who will fight for this state, and who will not back down," McClain said Trump told her.
The race was widely expected to be close between DePerno and Leonard, who ran for attorney general in 2018 and lost to Nessel by less than 3 percentage points. The winner of the Republican nomination, which will be officially made in August, will face Nessel in November.
U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., spoke in support of Leonard at Saturday's convention.
"We will only win if we put our best candidates forward. When it comes to the next attorney general, I have no doubt in my mind that Tom Leonard is that candidate," Bergman said.
A win for DePerno will be viewed as a victory for Trump. A win for Leonard could be a signal his influence has at least somewhat diminished within the Michigan GOP.
In the secretary of state race, Karamo cruised to victory.
LaFave welcomed delegates as they entered DeVos Place on Saturday morning. He has argued that Karamo won't be able to win over swing voters in the general election and won't be able to defeat Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
"We can either have somebody who can win against Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson or not," LaFave said.
Like DePerno, Karamo also gained the spotlight by making unproven claims of fraud concerning the 2020 election. Trump's loss in Michigan has been upheld by more than 200 audits, a series of court rulings and an investigation by the GOP-controlled state Senate Oversight Committee.
The GOP delegates will also endorse candidates for Michigan State University Board of Trustees, the University of Michigan Board of Regents and the State Board of Education. In each contest, there are four candidates competing for two nominations.
