(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/05/2022) Michigan Republican Party Chair candidate Matt DePerno was not one of the 18 people chosen Friday to be on the executive committee for the Kalamazoo County Republican Party.
The former GOP Attorney General candidate was one of 32 names being considered for the committee. He fell two votes short of 18th place.
The Portage attorney said he was at the state committee meeting in Frankenmuth at the time of the vote and wasn't campaigning for the local party post.
"I wasn't there. I didn't make any calls. I didn't give a speech," he said.
The top vote-getters were Jason Mikkelborg, Kathleen Olmsted and Brian Kincaid, who all received 67 votes. The 18th place candidate was Dennis Kehoe with 44 votes. DePerno received 42.
DePerno said his focus is on the state chair's race. On that point, MIRS asked about the large amount of interest in the job. Five people have turned in their petitions in advance of the mid-February election, but at least five other people have expressed interest.
Potential candidates have until Jan. 6 to turn in signatures of support from eight of the state's 13 congressional district chairs.
"In ways it's probably good that there's this much interest, but it's bad in that it demonstrates how divided we are as a party," he said, adding that his message is a need for the grassroots to appreciate the "legacy" donor class and the donors to better appreciate the work the grassroots do.
"We need to have good people who are in this for the right reason," DePerno said. "We don't need people jumping into this for self-promotion."
DePerno called out two potential candidates, Tuscola County Chair Billy Putnam and Christian conservative JD Glasier, for putting their own interests in running for state party chair before helping the Republican ticket during the last election.
"That is pretty disgusting," he said.
On former Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo getting into the chair's race, DePerno said the two probably have a similar vision for the party but "she believes she can do it better." He said he was able to raise $3.8 million in outside PAC money prior to the election, which the other candidates in the race haven't done before.
Those Republicans who have filed paperwork to run in the Michigan Republican Party chair's race includes DePerno, Karamo, Glasier, “Cool” Mike Firage and Kent Boersema. Candidates who have expressed interest in the seat, but have not filed yet, include former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, former congressional candidate Lena Epstein, former gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, Scott Aughney and Putnam.
