- Michigan Republican Party delegates met in Novi on Saturday to decide several general election candidates
- Among the chosen: Anthony Forlini for secretary of state and Doug Lloyd for attorney general
- Party officials also urged unity and coalescing behind the candidates chosen Saturday
NOVI — Michigan Republican Party delegates on Saturday endorsed Anthony Forlini for secretary of state and Doug Lloyd for attorney general, picking both for the general election ballot in a convention vote.
Forlini currently serves as Macomb County clerk, and Lloyd serves as Eaton County prosecutor. Both were considered the “establishment” picks and prevailed over less experienced competitors favored by some grassroots activists.
More than 2,000 GOP delegates attended the convention, which cost $50 to participate in and was held at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi. Around 55% of the delegates voted for Forlini, according to unofficial results. About 63% backed Lloyd.
Speaking with reporters following the vote, Forlini vowed to focus his general election campaign on improving customer service and strengthening confidence in Michigan elections.
“I think there’s a lot of scuttlebutt about the elections,” he said. “There’s a lot of concern about the elections, lack of transparency, lack of believability.”
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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, are term limited and cannot seek reelection.
Michigan is just one of three states where major party delegates routinely choose nominees for those posts at conventions rather than primary elections. Democrats will endorse their preferred candidates next month in Detroit.
Forlini was first elected Macomb County clerk in 2021 and previously served in the Michigan House. He made waves in January when he announced he’d used jury polls to discover more than a dozen noncitizens registered to vote, claims Benson’s office later said were overstated.
Forlini topped grassroots activist Monica Yatooma and Clarkston Community School District Trustee Amanda Love, neither of whom had experience administering elections.
Lloyd has served as the prosecuting attorney in Eaton County since 2013. If elected as attorney general, he has said he’d bring a “tough but fair approach” to the role and “stand firmly against political lawfare and weaponized prosecutions.”
Lloyd topped Kevin Kijewski, an attorney known for successfully defending one of the so-called ‘false electors’ in Michigan’s 2020 election.
“I’m walking into that job, day one, able to move forward,” Lloyd told reporters following the vote. “… lt’s not about whether you’re a Republican or a democrat when it comes to being the attorney general. It used to be that you’re actually just looking at facts and evidence. We need to get back to that.”
A call for unity
US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon kicked off Saturday’s Michigan GOP convention by praising actions taken during President Donald Trump’s second term, including having “neutralized the evil Iranian regime,” a reference to the ongoing conflict in the middle east.
Trump won’t be on the ballot this fall, but several key Michigan races — including for the state’s open US Senate seat — could help decide whether the president has a cooperative congress to work with over the next two years.
McMahon on Friday convened with Republicans in Hamtramck to urge Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to opt into a federal tax credit scholarship program that critics have compared to vouchers because it could be used to pay for private school tuition.
Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad – also a sitting state Senator from White Lake – urged unity ahead of voting early Saturday, stressing that the party “cannot afford” to not rally behind the candidates chosen at convention.
“Division is not harmless. Division costs the very future of our children and our grandchildren,” Runestad said. “We cannot let that happen this year. Not in this moment.”
In recent years, some criticism has emerged that grassroots party activists have nominated candidates that may have been palatable to other party activists, but not necessarily general voters.
Four years ago, Republican convention delegates chose far-right nominees Matt DePerno and Kristina Karamo for attorney general and secretary of state, respectively.
Both lost by wide margins in the general election, but so did Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, who had won a competitive primary.
“Today, let’s all make a decision: Right here, right now, let’s all choose unity. Let’s choose to row in the same direction,” Runestad said, adding that the party’s “mission must be to restore accountability” and “advance our conservative principles.”
Governor candidates speak
As delegate votes were tabulated, Republican gubernatorial candidates Perry Johnson, John James and Ralph Rebrandt each made the pitch to party members as to why they should be Michigan’s next governor.
Johnson spoke at length about his plan to eliminate the state’s income tax, which he claims will save a family of four $4,747 per year — a nod to Trump, the 47th president. He also proclaimed himself “probably the most conservative person in the whole room.”
James, who has led early polls but was booed by some delegates while taking the stage, criticized the track records of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who are running for governor as a Democrat and independent, respectively.
Speaking with reporters after the speech, James touted his recent vote to fund the US Department of Homeland Security amid the ongoing partial government shutdown and promoted the controversial SAVE Act, which would tighten voter ID and registration rules nationally.
“These are the types of things that people approve of — in addition to the basic facts that we have to do everything we can to lower prices,” James said.
Rebandt, whose name was spelled incorrectly in the convention program, said that if elected, he would “abolish” property taxes and vouch for parental rights in education and health care. “Any state employee who signs a nondisclosure agreement will be fired on the spot,” he added.
Speaking to reporters, House Speaker Matt Hall took a similar tone to Runestad and urged party unity behind whomever delegates — and later, voters — chose for secretary of state, attorney general or governor.
“If we’re unified, we can defeat the Democrats very easily,” said Hall, R-Richland Township. “I’m encouraged, because I’m seeing that here.”
Other endorsed candidates
All other party positions decided at the convention on Saturday were uncontested and approved by delegates in voice votes.
Those include:
- Michigan Supreme Court: Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren and 23rd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Casandra Morse-Bills
- State Board of Education: Financial analyst and Grosse Pointe resident Terence Collins and Bree Moeggenberg, a Mount Pleasant resident and grassroots activist
- Michigan State University Board of Trustees: Former Novi City Council member Julie Maday and state Sen. Roger Victory, a Hudsonville Republican and owner of Victory Farms
- University of Michigan Board of Regents: Bloomfield Township Treasurer Michael Schostak and Lena Epstein, Co-Owner of Vesco Oil Corporation
- Wayne State Board of Governors: Vibe Credit Union Board of Directors member Christa Murphy and Andy Anuzis, principal of the Detroit-based Lincoln-King High School
Democrats will endorse candidates for those roles during their April 19 convention in Detroit. The positions will not appear on the primary ballot, meaning voters will have the chance to weigh in on these roles for the first time during the Nov. 3 general election.
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