The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, United States, sometimes referred to as MIGOP.
Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been elected in 2015 by delegates to the Republican State Convention. In 2017, McDaniel became Republican National Committee Chairwoman, serving until 2024. The Michigan Republican Party hosts a biennial political conference at the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel called the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. The event features notable national Republicans, senators, governors, and presidential candidates.
Even though the Michigan Republican Party has historically been characterized by conservatism, the party took a hard-right turn after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. After the 2020 United States elections, the Michigan Republican Party pushed false claims of fraud and sought to overturn the election results. A months-long Republican investigation found there was no evidence of widespread fraud and recommended for the attorney general to investigate some who had made such allegations for personal gain.
History Republicans have been elected to the governorship of Michigan in 27 of 48 gubernatorial elections. The first was Kingsley S. Bingham in 1855, and the most recent is Rick Snyder, who was elected in 2010, and then re-elected in 2014.
After President Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal, Vice President Gerald Ford became the 38th President of the United States. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids and served as a U.S. Representative from Michigan from 1949 to 1973.
Following the 2016 election and Reince Priebus' selection to be White House Chief of Staff, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ronna Romney McDaniel became Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. Then-President-elect Trump recommended McDaniel in December 2016 to replace Priebus. She was officially elected as RNC chair on January 19, 2017, becoming the second woman to hold the post in RNC history, after Mary Louise Smith.
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Michigan and Donald Trump refused to concede, the Michigan Republican Party pushed false claims of fraud and sought to overturn the election results. In January 2021, the Michigan Republican Party sought to replace GOP member Aaron Van Langevelde on the Michigan Board of Canvassers; he had previously voted to certify the Michigan election results in favor of Biden. One of the candidates that the Michigan Republican Party sought to nominate to that position was Linda Lee Tarver, who had been involved in efforts to overturn the election results.
According to the Associated Press, since Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election and Michigan swinging back to the Democrats, the Michigan GOP have taken a hard right-wing turn. The shift has altered the once moderate character of the state GOP and has instead embraced more right-wing elements. In 2021, the executive director of the Michigan GOP resigned after he declined to say that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump; delegates in the Michigan GOP had called for him to be fired for his remarks. Increasing internal divisions within the Michigan Republican Party led to a violent physical brawl at a state committee meeting in 2023, during which one party activist allegedly kicked a committee member in the groin and broke his rib.
Current elected Republicans in Michigan
Members of Congress U.S. Senate None
Both of Michigan's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2001. Spencer Abraham was the last Republican to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate. First elected in 1994, Abraham lost re-election in 2000 to Democrat Debbie Stabenow.
U.S. House of Representatives Out of the 13 seats Michigan is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 7 are held by Republicans: +DistrictMemberPhoto1st2nd4th5th7th9th10th
Statewide None
Michigan has not elected any GOP candidates to statewide office since 2014, when Rick Snyder, Brian Calley, Bill Schuette, and Ruth Johnson were re-elected as governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, respectively. In 2018, term limits prevented all four politicians from seeking third terms. Schuette ran as the Republican nominee in the 2018 gubernatorial election with Lisa Posthumus Lyons as his running mate and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challenger Gretchen Whitmer and running mate Garlin Gilchrist while Tom Leonard and Mary Treder Lang ran as the Republican nominees for Attorney General and Secretary of State and were subsequently defeated by Democratic challengers Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson.
Michigan Legislature Senate Minority Leader: Aric Nesbitt
Majority Leader of the Michigan House of Representatives: Bryan Posthumus
Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives: Matt Hall
United States cabinet members from Michigan who served under a Republican president The following are in order of presidential succession.
Name Cabinet position Years served President(s) served under Secretary of Defense 1953–1957 Secretary of the Interior 1875–1877 Secretary of Commerce 1932–1933 Secretary of Commerce 1959–1961 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1969–1973 Director of Office of Management and Budget 1981–1985 Secretary of Energy 2001–2005 Secretary of Education 2017–2021 Secretary of War (obsolete) 1897–1899 Secretary of the Navy (obsolete) 1908–1909 Secretary of the Navy (obsolete) 1921–1924 Postmaster General (obsolete) 1953–1961 Secretary of Housing & Urban Development 2017–2021
Michigan Republican State Committee The Michigan Republican State Committee is the state central committee of the Michigan Republican Party. It is composed of seven members from each of Michigan's Congressional district Republican committees, the Chairman, Co-Chairman, the various Vice Chairmen of the Party, and the Secretary, Treasurer and General and Financial Counsels. It selects Michigan's two representatives to the Republican National Committee. Additionally, the Chairperson of each County Republican Party organization is a non-voting ex officio member of the State Committee.
Current leadership +PositionNameChairJim RunestadCo-ChairSunny ReddyTreasurerBen Genser Grassroots Vice-ChairChris LongAdministrative Vice-ChairCheryl ConstantinoCoalitions Vice-ChairSusan KokindaOutreach Vice-ChairRola MakkiEthnic Vice-ChairMichael FarageYouth Vice-ChairKrish MathraniNational CommitteewomanHima KolanagireddyNational CommitteemanDr. Rob Steele
Chairmen of the Michigan Republican State Committee
Name Residence Years served Joseph Warren Detroit 1854–1855 James M. Edmunds Detroit 1855–1861 E. C. Walker Detroit 1861–1862 William Alanson HowardWilliam Alanson Howard later became U. S. Representative for the Michigan's 1st congressional district (1855–59), (1860–61) and Governor of Dakota Territory (1878–1880) Detroit 1862–1868 Governor John J. BagleyJohn J. Bagley later served as Governor of Michigan (1873–1877) Detroit 1868–1870 Stephen D. Bingham Lansing 1870–1878 George H. Hopkins Detroit 1878 Zachariah ChandlerZachariah Chandler had previously been Mayor of Detroit (1851–1852), U. S. Senator (Class 1) from Michigan (1857–1875, 1879) U. S. Secretary of the Interior (1875–77) and simultaneously Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1876–79) Detroit 1878–1879 James McMillanJames McMillan was also a U. S. Senator (Class 2) from Michigan (1889–1902) Detroit 1879–1880 Governor Henry P. BaldwinHenry P. Baldwin had previously served as Governor of Michigan (1869–1873) and United States Senator (Class 1) from Michigan (1879–1881) Detroit 1880–1882 Edward S. Lacey Charlotte 1882–1884 Philip T. Van Zile Charlotte 1884–1886 James McMillan Detroit 1886–1888 George H. Hopkins Detroit 1888–1890 James McMillan Detroit 1890–1896 Dexter M. Ferry Detroit 1896–1898 Arthur Marsh Allegan 1898–1900 Gerrit J. DiekemaGerrit J. Diekema had also been U. S. Representative for the Michigan's 5th congressional district (1907–1911) Holland 1900–1910 Frank Knox Sault Ste. Marie 1910–1912 Governor Alex J. GroesbeckAlex J. Groesbeck was later Michigan Attorney General (1917–1920) and Governor of Michigan (1921–1927) Detroit 1912–1914 Gilman M. Dame Northport 1914–1916 John D. Mangum Marquette 1916–1918 Burt D. Cady Port Huron 1919–1925 Kennedy L. Potter Jackson 1925–1927 Gerrit J. Diekema Holland 1927–1929 Howard C. Lawrence Ionia and Saginaw 1929–1937 James Francis Thomson Jackson 1937–1940 Leslie B. Butler Lansing 1940–1942 John R. DethmersJohn R. Dethmers was later Michigan Attorney General (1945–1946) Holland 1942–1945 John A. Wagner Battle Creek 1945–1949 Owen ClearyOwen Cleary was later Michigan Secretary of State (1953–1954) Ypsilanti 1949–1953 John FeikensJohn Feikens is currently Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (since 1986) Detroit 1953–1957 Lawrence Lindemer Stockbridge 1957–1961 George Van Peursem Zeeland 1961–1963 Arthur G. Elliott Jr. Birmingham 1963–1965 Elly M. PetersonElly M. Peterson was the first woman to serve as chairman of any official state party. Charlotte 1965–1969 William F. McLaughlin Northville 1969–1979 Melvin L. Larson Oxford 1979–1983 Spencer AbrahamSpencer Abraham later became U. S. Senator from Michigan (1995–2001) and U. S. Secretary of Energy (2001–2005) East Lansing 1983–1991 David J. Doyle Okemos 1991–1995 Susy Heintz (Avery) Clinton Township 1995–1996 Betsy DeVosBetsy DeVos is married to 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos Grand Rapids 1996–2000 Gerald HillsGerald Hills is currently the spokesman for Michigan Attorney General candidate Bill Schuette. East Lansing 2000–2003 Betsy DeVos Grand Rapids 2003–2005 Saul Anuzis Lansing 2005–2009 Ronald WeiserRonald Weiser is a former United States Ambassador to Slovakia, appointed by George W. Bush in November 2001 and served until December 2004. Ann Arbor 2009–2011 Bobby Schostak Oakland County 2011–2015 Ronna Romney McDaniel Northville2015–2017 Ronald Weiser Ann Arbor 2017–2019Laura CoxLivonia2019–2021 Ronald Weiser Ann Arbor 2021–2023 Kristina Karamo Detroit 2023–2024 Malinda Pego (acting) Muskegon 2024 Pete Hoekstra Holland 2024–2025Jim RunestadWhite Lake2025–present
References
External links
Michigan Republican Party Michigan Young Republicans Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference Michigan Republican Wayne County organizations