Trump could earn boost from swing-state primary process RNC helped craft: Report
Eden Villalovas
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The Michigan Republican Party approved a proposal on Saturday to change the state’s presidential primary process in a way that some believe will benefit former President Donald Trump.
The Republican National Committee would have to approve the plan in order for it to move forward, and Michigan’s Republican Party chair told ABC News the organization participated on some level in developing the plan.
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“We worked with the entire RNC team, RNC legal, so this was not some cockamamie plan that we just came up with on our own,” GOP state party chairwoman Kristina Karamo said to ABC. “We talked to the RNC, you know, leadership team to make sure that this was a proper, well-thought-out process.”
The GOP state committee moved to ratify the primary process by allowing Michigan to choose over two-thirds of their state delegates for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination through a caucus meeting.
Under the current system, all delegates are awarded to the winner of the state’s primary election. However, the proposed plan would place 10 delegates to the primary winner, and the remaining 42 would be awarded to the candidates based on the election results of caucasus in the 13 congressional districts.
Karamo said she discussed proposal matters directly with Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
Karamo lost the race for secretary of state race in 2022 to the Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson, running her campaign in support of Trump’s election denial theories, refusing to concede the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.
“It’s no secret that Donald Trump is extremely popular among local party officials in Michigan,” 2024 Republican presidential candidate Steve Laffey said. “This is just another blatant move to try and prevent the will of the people.”
Michigan Republicans have often taken a pro-Trump stance, endorsing Trump-backed candidates for statewide office like Karamo for Secretary of State and Matthew DePerno for Attorney General.
Amid the House committee investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol, documents were released showing Michigan legislators pledging support for a scheme to put forward alternate electors who would vote for Trump when asked by the Trump campaign in December 2020. A subpoenaed Trump staffer provided a spreadsheet to the committee released in January, displaying the names of three GOP state Senators who were reelected in 2022: Jon Bumstead, Rick Outman, and Roger Victory.
The state’s Republican Party explained the move to change the primary process came as the Democratic-controlled legislature passed a bill earlier this year moving Michigan’s primary from the second Tuesday in March to the fourth Tuesday in February, following a proposal from Biden. The Democratic National Committee approved the plan in a February vote, affirming that Michigan would go fifth among the state primaries under the new calendar.
Republicans believe the change will give Democrats an unfair advantage and violate RNC rules that prohibit certain states from holding primaries before March 1.
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“It prevented Michigan from receiving a penalty, and I would be derelict in my duty if I didn’t do everything in my power to protect the voice of Michigan Republicans,” Karamo said.
A Trump campaign spokesperson and the RNC did not respond to requests for comment.