Michigan Republicans on Saturday endorsed a pair of Trump-backed candidates who supper the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Kristina Karamo was endorsed for Michigan secretary of state and Matthew DePerno is the party’s pick for state attorney general.
Both candidates now have a clear path to the official nomination at a second party convention in August, where it would take a vote by 75% of the delegates to overturn Saturday’s decisions.
“I will not let you down,” Karamo said Saturday at the Michigan GOP state convention according to the Associated Press. “I’m fighting for the people of Michigan irrespective of political affiliation.”
Nearly 2,500 state Republican activists on Saturday attended the convention, where the nominations are decided. In Michigan, voters don’t decide whether candidates for state supreme court, attorney general, secretary of state, the board of education and university board members continue on to the general election. Instead, the nominations are decided by the parties at their conventions.
DePerno, who was the lawyer on a case that attempted to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, went against former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard and State Representative Ryan Berman for his nomination spot.
Community college professor Karamo went against State Representative Beau LaFave and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry. Karamo gained a following after the 2020 presidential election, when she claimed to have witnessed fraudulent activity at a location in Detroit. Karamo made several cable news appearances where she made unfounded claims about widespread fraud.
Trump, who has endorsed both DePerno and Karamo, congratulated them both following Saturday’s convention.
“They will go on to big victories for Attorney General and Secretary of State,” the former president said in a statement. “I will back them strongly.”
Adam Brewster and Fin Gómez contributed reporting.
