The Michigan Republican Party State Convention convened on Saturday in East Lansing for the purpose of nominating candidates for the fall elections. A handful of races were contested, namely for Secretary of State, Attorney General, Supreme Court, MSU Trustee, and even Lt. Governor. At around 10:45 am – forty-five minutes past the scheduled start time - the Convention officially began, which led to nearly eight hours’ worth of candidate speeches, formal and informal votes, and a Tea Party uproar.
To kick-off the annual gathering of state-wide GOP supporters, candidates in non-contested races were formally nominated. Thus, incumbents Andrea Newman and Andrew Richner became the Republican nominees for University of Michigan Bord of Regents; as did incumbent Diane Dunaskiss and Danialle Karmanos for Wayne State University Board of Governors. Also on the non-partisan ticket, Eileen Weiser – wife of Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser – and Richard Zeile were nominated for State Board of Education. Supporters of each of the candidates, respectively, had their moment on stage, followed by brief acceptance speeches.
Gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder’s pick for Lt. Governor, State Representative Brian Calley, next took the stand. Normally, the chosen running mate of the GOP gubernatorial primary winner is “confirmed” unanimously at the Convention. Historical precedent suggests that the vote for Lt. Governor is simply ceremonial. But proponents of the Tea Party movement had other plans. Going against the wind, the Tea Party of West Michigan-sponsored Bill Cooper, a businessman from Fruitport, was officially nominated on the floor to the dismay of establishment GOPers. Since the Michigan Republican Party deemed it unnecessary for a ballot vote by convention delegates to sort out the division, two alternatives were placed before the crowd of frustrated establishment Republicans and angered Tea Partiers: An informal count of hands or standing individuals “on the honor system.” And Cooper fans were fortunate to have the latter as an option – it was the result of a wave of boos that rattled the banners indicative of past Spartan successes that hung from the rafters. In the end, Cooper addressed the schism, stating that he was appreciative of those that backed him and made a pitch for party unity while announcing his withdrawal from consideration. Additional boos filled the air following Cooper’s on-stage stint. The acceptance speech given by Calley was unscripted, as he tossed his notes at the podium in what functioned as a response to the fervor of the body: the desire to win in November.
Judging by the content of emails and phone calls being circulated amongst Michigan GOPers in the weeks leading up to the convention, it seemed as though former Congressman and elected Judge Bill Schuette would run away with the nomination. Not to be deterred, State Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester Hills) and his campaign put forth a valiant effort. Friday night, Bishop received the support – on a close vote – of a group of Tea Party members meeting in nearby Holt, MI. With that said, Schuette pulled out a surprisingly narrow victory over Bishop, 1072 to 971.
As it concerned nominations to the Supreme Court, there was one to be determined by voting delegates since Justice Bob Young was uncontested in his bid for a second term. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth Kelly and Third District Court of Appeals Judge Jane Markey battled for the right to face appointed Justice Alton T. Davis who replaced liberal Republican Elizabeth Weaver, who resigned, on Thursday. Aided by the ring of support from Justices Young and Maura D. Corrigan and Clifford Taylor, who was Chief Justice until he lost his seat in 2008, Kelly coasted to an easy win, receiving 1,411 of 2,063 total votes. Of note, when speaking in support of Kelly, Young made it clear that the Michigan Democratic elite are not fond of him: “Mark Brewer and friends hate my guts. I must be doing something right.”
Another battle was for MSU Trustee. Two-time incumbent Don Nugent was upset by a political newcomer and former MSU and professional football player, Mitch Lyons, by nearly 400 votes. Nugent, who is 69 years old, was poised for another eight-year term – but it was not meant to be. Throughout the convention, Lyons interacted with delegates in the crowd, combing each Congressional District sectional arrangement hoping to gain additional support, whereas Nugent was missing-in-action. It was clear that the Michigan Republican Party and establishment GOPers wanted to reelect Nugent, but the same cannot be said about the devotion of the Tea Party crowd. Brian Breslin, a former MSU basketball player, ran unopposed for the non-incumbent nomination. Though it was announced that Lyons opted to run against Nugent, leaving Breslin unopposed, a floor motion was made prior to the close of nominations that sought to allow the top-two finishers between the three candidates to receive nominations instead of the State Rules-abiding one-on-one system. Interestingly, the motion was misinterpreted – either on purpose or accidentally - by a State Party leader. “The motion on the floor is to have Lyons run against both Nugent and Breslin,” spoke the State Party leader. On that note, the motion failed by a wide margin.
Last up for grabs was the most sought-after prize: The Republican nod for Secretary of State to replace outgoing office holder Terri Lynn Land (R). Two rounds of tabulated delegate voting was necessary for the contest between State Senators Cameron Brown (Fawn River Township) and Michelle McManus (Lake Leelanau); State Representative Paul Scott (Grand Blanc); Calhoun County Clerk Anne Norlander; and Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson. As previously alluded, the quest for the coveted position of Secretary of State, which is primarily in charge of overseeing state-wide elections, began early. Brown, McManus, and Norlander have been in the race for many months, having begun their campaigns prior to the 2009 Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. It is assumed that Scott, a freshman State Legislator, threw his name into the mix in order to boost his name recognition. Johnson, who was considered the hand-picked choice of the Michigan Republican Party by some, also entered late. As it turned out, though, the support Johnson received from grassroots leaders bolted her to the top. Since no candidate garnered a majority vote after the first ballot, a run-off was necessary, pitting Johnson against Brown. Johnson, who led Brown, 625 to 454, after the initial contest, could have run away with the nomination. However, it appears that many delegates who had originally voted for Norlander - and possibly Scott and McManus – decided to hop onboard the Brown bandwagon. But the late surge was not enough to hold off Johnson, who won the final vote count over the State Senator, 1,089 to 974.
All in all, the thousands of GOP supporters - from Delegates to Alternate Delegates, Republican elected officials to County and Congressional District leaders, establishment backers to Tea Party proponents – that packed the Breslin Center surely endured a State Convention to remember.
