Gretchen Whitmer says Trump maintains hold on Michigan Republicans

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) stated that for a long time, Michigan Republicans have been influenced by former President Donald Trump and his allies, and she believes this trend is likely to continue into the 2024 presidential election.

Whitmer added, “In Michigan, Republican Party politics for a long time has been controlled by the DeVos family, the Betsy DeVos family. And in this last round, where they were nominating their attorney general, secretary of state, the DeVos candidates lost to the Trump candidates.”

The new chairwoman of the Michigan GOP is Kristina Karamo, a far-right election denier who became chairwoman of the Michigan GOP in late February. Her victory underscores the deep divide within the party between those who spread claims of election fraud and other members who are hoping to move on.

Karamo’s platform is to turn “the corrupt and ineffective” party into a “high-efficiency electing” one and eliminating the “co-conspirator relationship” with Democrats.

Whitmer thinks that if the Republican primary was held tomorrow, Trump would still maintain a hold on Republicans in Michigan.

The governor did not provide many details regarding a presidential run in 2024, stating that she never thought she would run for office again after leaving the legislature.

Whitmer stated, “Here I am in my fifth year as governor of the state. I know enough about myself that if I see a problem that’s not getting fixed, [and] I think I can do something about it, I’m going to roll up my sleeves and try.”

Whitmer also highlighted her age, saying she’ll be 55 by the end of her term as governor, and her mother died at the age of 59.