The Board of Canvassers decides the fate of the candidates for governor of Michigan
Tony Downt of the Michigan State Council of Canvas describes the problems he weighed in deciding the fate of Republican candidates for governor of Michigan.
Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press
James Craig, a former Detroit police chief and once considered a Republican nominee for governor this fall, lost his candidacy to run in the primary vote in August after the Michigan Court of Justice rejected an appeal against his campaign Thursday. .
Craig was one of five GOP gubernatorial candidates whose nomination petitions to qualify for the vote were rife with signature fraud, according to the Electoral Bureau. The bureau’s review found that of Craig’s 21,305 signatures, more than 11,000 were invalid, leaving him with far fewer than the 15,000 valid signatures needed to appear on the ballot.
The lawsuit reflected Wednesday’s ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which rejected similar appeals by Republican gubernatorial candidates, Auckland businessman Perry Johnson and Grand Haven financial adviser Michael Markie. Johnson appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court, and Markie said he planned to do the same.
Craig’s campaign said it planned to ask the Michigan Supreme Court to overturn the Court of Justice’s ruling. “Our battle is not over,” Craig said in a statement.
Rejecting Craig’s lawsuit, Michigan Claim Judge Elizabeth Glacier said she was bound by the Johnson Court of Appeals’ ruling, which she said solved the same major problem in Craig’s attempt to challenge his removal from the primary vote.
More: Michigan Court of Appeals: Perry Johnson Not Eligible for Primary Voting in August
Problems with signatures submitted by Craig’s campaign include petition sheets that had signatures with similar handwriting and evidence of a roundtable, or petitioners distributing a petition with each other to change handwriting, according to the Electoral Bureau.
“Some pages are more obvious than others. For example, sometimes the distributors of fraudulent petitions did not make much effort to change the handwriting, “wrote Bureau officials.
Craig said he was the victim of a methodical attempt to keep him from voting, and called on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to launch a criminal investigation into the petition’s fraud.
“I was robbed of the opportunity to vote and let voters in Michigan decide who should represent the Republican Party,” Craig told Free Press last week.
Michigan Election Director Jonathan Brother described the signature fraud identified by the Electoral Commission as an unprecedented “attack on our electoral system.” In total, the Bureau identified at least 68,000 invalid signatures on petitions for the nomination of candidates.
The fraud uncovered by the bureau was handed over to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Also: The report links fake signatures on a petition for the Michigan election to 36 draws, 1 company
James Craig wants AG Dana Nessel to investigate fraudulent signatures on GOP petitions
Last Thursday, the Board of State Agitators split 2-2 on the party line on accepting the recommendations of the staff of the Electoral Bureau to disqualify the businesswoman of Craig, Johnson, Markie and Brian Center Donna Brandenburg. The stalemate led to the disqualification of candidates to go to the polls.
Craig and Johnson filed lawsuits last Friday, challenging the actions of the board, followed by Markie, who filed his case on Sunday. Brandenburg filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Supreme Court early Thursday, almost a week after the State Council meeting and a day before Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was required by law to certify the names of candidates for the primary.
Brandenburg’s legal challenge marks the fourth and final of the Republican candidates for governor disqualified from the August election. Michigan State Police Captain Mike Brown withdrew from the race before the board met to review petitions to nominate candidates for a seat on the ballot.
The board of state councilors has certified five candidates for governor of the Republican Party for the upcoming primary elections. Among them are Norton Shores businesswoman Tudor Dixon, Ottawa County real estate agent Ryan Kelly, Farmington Hills pastor Ralph Reband, Bloomfield Hills businessman Kevin Rinke and Kalamazoo chiropractor Gareth Soldano.
Officers will begin sending absentee ballots to the military and voters abroad on June 18th.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo. Become a subscriber today.
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