DETROIT (WHTC-AM/FM, Feb. 22, 2025) – Still basking in the glow of last November’s election victories, Michigan Republicans gathered on Saturday at Detroit Huntington Place, the rebranded Cobo Hall, to elect a new party chairman and other leaders.
Former Holland Congressman Pete Hoekstra, awaiting US Senate confirmation of his appointment by President Trump to be the American Ambassador to Canada, had guided the state GOP since Karissa Karamo was ousted as party chair a little over a year ago. He has strived to unify Republicans and expand its base of support.
Former Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddox, state Senator Jim Runestad and former US Ambassador to Fiji Joe Cella were running to replace Hoekstra as state GOP Party Chair, with Runestad and Maddox emerging ahead of Cella on the first ballot. Maddox then conceded by making a motion to have Runestad win unanimously.
Also on Saturday, state Democrats huddled at Detroit’s Renaissance Center, with former state Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. as their new leader, replacing Lavora Barnes, who stepped down after six years as Chairwoman. MIRS News reported that Hertel’s only remaining challenger, activist Al Williams, apparently didn’t reach a 1,270-signature threshold in order to be considered for party chair.
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