Top Michigan Republican says his party is ‘a mess,’ alludes to infighting

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) told The Wall Street Journal that the Michigan Republican Party is currently “a mess.”

While he weighs a possible senate run to try and flip retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s seat, Huizenga told the Journal’s Sibohan Hughes earlier this year the challenges of running as a Republican in Michigan, as well as his party’s uncertain leadership under conspiracy theorist Kristina Karamo.

“Michigan, to be frank, is a mess politically right now,” Huizenga said. “It’s going to be hard attracting good candidates for all offices, and we need to work through that and figure it out in a hurry.”

Huizenga is likely referring to the fact that state Republicans recently elected Karamo as the chair of the Michigan Republican Party as she defeated former state Attorney General Matt DePerno. Despite winning the party position, Karamo still refuses to concede her loss to Democrat Jocelyn Benson in the Secretary of State race from last November. Karamo’s chairwoman win has led to significant Republican infighting within the state since she has a history of unethical comments and questionable character. In 2014, Karamo and her then-husband Adom were involved in a divorce, during which Adom alleged that Kristina threatened to kill him and their two children.

The Donald Trump-backed Karamo has also said that premarital sex is Satanic, yoga is a ritual to summon demons and abortion is child sacrifice.

Huizenga, who was elected during the Tea Party wave in early 2010, has floated his own questionable but less controversial ideas, like cutting Social Security. In March, Huizenga voted against President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill and then bragged about Michigan using federal funding for local construction projects.

In addition to the unstable nature of Michigan’s Republican Party, the Democrats have firm control of the state after securing a trifecta in last November’s midterm elections. Should Huizenga decide to run, he would face Republicans like State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder and businessman Michael Hoover in the Republican primary.