(Source: MIRS.news, Published 02/23/2023) A polarizing advisor and friend of Michigan Republican Party (MRP) Chair Kristina Karamo whose name was invoked in a last-minute whisper campaign to derail her candidacy last week will not be working within her leadership team.
Karamo described Michael Labadie two weeks ago as a "friend" who "has done nothing but help a lot of people," but told MIRS he "was never in consideration for serving in my administration in any capacity."
Described by some GOP activists as a "pushy," "deep state global" theorist who attempts to indoctrinate others with scripted jargon, the 64-year-old Waterford Republican Party activist has a purposely enigmatic background allegedly based in national security.
Labadie has been in Karamo's ear since her Secretary of State campaign about election security matters, which one Republican source said is "terrifying." However, former gubernatorial candidate Patrick Colbeck described Labadie as a "sharp," organized consultant in "high-level government matters."
"He's got a lot of experience with people trying to subvert our government. Let's leave it at that," Colbeck said. "Not everybody who has experience is bad. We need more and more people who are willing to step up when it matters."
Asked if he would have issues with Labadie being within Karamo's inner circle, Colbeck said, "No concern on my part. He's somebody who knows how to get the job done."
After the Secretary of State race, Labadie began taking a bigger role in Karamo's campaign. As some of her team from that race left for various reasons, Labadie filled a void that some found troubling.
"Now, I don't even know her," said one former supporter.
But when Labadie's potential influence was publicly brought up Feb. 11 at a candidate forum in Flushing by fellow candidate JD Glaser, Karamo didn't seem to be hurt politically by it. Some argue it had the opposite effect.
"I know JD . . . demonizes a personal friend of mine, creates this narrative that he's like a puppet master, but it's just not based in fact. We all have friends who support us," she said. "We all have friends who give us advice."
Glaser took the microphone at this forum and said Labadie puts people in "telegram channels." He gives folks "poisoned words," who, in turn, use his "identical language" to create division.
Another candidate in the room, but not invited on stage, Mike Farrage, thought bringing up Labadie's name was a "set up" by political adversaries who were hoping to get a final dig in on Karamo, who was a perceived front runner at the time.
"It was a hit piece by candidates who were desperate to win at that point," Farage said. "It was just horrible."
Who is Michael Labadie?
Public records show he was licensed to sell real estate in Michigan between 2017 and 2021, although he says he's been in the business for 38 years.
He worked for an outfit called Trusted Advisor Realty and claims to have been mentioned in the forward of a book by then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt about his ability to solve "complex and highly challenging obstructions, ensuring projects and sales are completed to the advantage of those I represent."
His Zillow profile has him growing up in the landscaping business before launching his own specialty construction firm where he developed property, renovated homes and managed Fortune 500 critical systems projects for firms such as Pepsi, Amgen, Baxter & Clorox.
Public court records show he pled guilty to a cruelty to animals charge in Galveston when he lived in Houston in 1992, back when he was 34. When he was 20, Labadie was charged with a felony regarding "crimes against property" in a suburban Portland, Ore. county.
He finished first in a precinct delegate race in 2022 among six candidates in Waterford Township. He also ran in uncontested precinct delegate races in 2020 and 2018 out of Waterford.
Other than that, little is known about him. Karamo supporters contend that rumors about him being a former CIA agent are inaccurate.
Multiple calls and an email to Labadie were not returned.
However, a behind-the-scenes push to keep him out of a leadership post with the Michigan Republican Party was real.
Karamo already has named one of her key supporters, Dawn Beattie, as the executive administrator for the MRP.
It was presumed Macomb County Republican Party Chair Mark Forton, a former GOP chair candidate, would be involved given his support for Karamo on the floor of the state convention. However, Forton told MIRS he's not interested in a paid position.
One of Forton's former top supporters was Lisa Mankiewicz, who was the Macomb County vice chair under Forton. She has been mentioned for a potential post.
MRP Co-Chair Malinda Pego, Karamo's running mate, was also a close confidant of Karamo's during the campaign. She's credited with turning around Republicans' fortunes in Muskegon County and is highly respected among the GOP base.
From the outside, Karamo's victory may seem surprising, given Donald Trump endorsed opponent Matt DePerno and Scott Greenlee were picking up late momentum.
However, Van Buren County delegate David Yardley noted that many of the delegates at Saturday's convention supported Karamo for Secretary of State at last April's endorsement convention, which she won convincingly.
Also, one could argue that Karamo's endorsement of DePerno put him over the top in his AG bid.
Other delegates told MIRS they appreciated Karamo's authenticity, calling her the "real deal," who didn't back off her election fraud claims or allow herself to be framed as an establishment candidate.
"It also came down to personality," Yardley said. “Kristina, on a personal level, is outgoing, gregarious and just fun to be around. DePerno is cold to a lot of people. Let's face it, he comes across as a dull, boring, older attorney. She was a lot of people's second choice.”
