MYTH-MAKING 101
The ‘Big Lie’ narrative keeps growing, nationwide and in Michigan, despite recent polling showing more and more members of the GOP are finding the unfounded claims that the Donald Trump election was somehow stolen are just that – unfounded. At the same time, the Republican-controlled state Senate recently released the results of its investigation which cast more than a bit of shade on those continuing to claim there was massive election fraud in Michigan. But that didn’t stop


THE PURGE CONTINUES
It seems unless you wear rosy glasses – excuse us, Trump-colored glasses – you are no longer welcome in the Michigan Republican Party. Whether he was fired, asked to resign or just had had enough, it’s likely to stay a ‘state secret’ (at least until someone squeals), but Jason Roe, a known Never Trumper and veteran conservative strategist who the Michigan GOP had brought in to assist them in February as the executive director of the party, waved bye-bye in July. Roe had drawn


SAVED BY THE BELL
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can thank lawmakers from 2012 for escaping any recall vote this fall. The legislature at the time tightened up the recall requirements, shortening the petition time frame from 90 days to 60 days to get sufficient signatures (1,062,647) on a recall petition. Meanwhile, a governor cannot be recalled in the first year or last year of a four-year term, which for Whitmer would be 2022. The deadline to get a recall on the November 2021 ballot is July 30 of thi
FUGGEDABOUTIT
Memory is a funny thing. Sometimes you remember something. Sometimes you don’t. Then, there’s video to help jog your memory. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley may wish there wasn’t, as he has claimed he never really participated in the January 6 armed insurrection at the nation’s capital, telling MLive, “As far as going through any barricades, or doing anything like that, I never took part in any forceful anything. Once things started getting crazy, I left.” Exce
ROAD RUNNER
Before 2022 is out, they may wish for Looney Tunes’ Wile E. Coyote, but for now, early word is that Kalamazoo attorney Matthew DePerno will be running for the Republican nod for attorney general. DePerno is among the far-right crowd that has challenged Michigan election results, alleging fraud. DePerno has the honor of having Michigan Senate Republicans accusing him of spreading “demonstrably false” information about the 2020 election. After his announcement, current Michigan


WHEN PIGS FLY
That’s how some political insiders are dismissing the the rumored possibility that former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is being positioned to run against Gov. Whitmer in 2022. Too much negative baggage associated with that billionaire family name. In the 2018 Michigan primary for governor, Betsy was the figurative whipping post for Democrats, who to a person ran against what she represented for education in Michigan before her time in D.C. and what she pushed as po


JAMES CRAIG PREMIER
We're not going to waste much space rehashing the performance of former Detroit Police Chief James Craig at the Jackson County Republican Party coming out speech in the past month. Short on specifics captures it best. Drill down on details, he did not. Although Craig makes regular appearances on Fox News where softball questions are the order of the day (and where he formally announced his gubernatorial run on July 21 but then backtracked it the next day), there was not much


WAITING GAME
Speaking of Sen. Rosemary Bayer, who was elected to her seat in 2018, she fully intends to run for re-election in 2022 – but there could be a slight wrinkle that could get in the way. It’s called redistricting, and with the 2020 U.S. Census results delayed, so too are the results expected from the Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission. “It will depend on the lines (of the district),” Bayer said. “We might not know until January 1, 2021 – and you have to live in the di
NEXT ACT
Former state Rep. Christine Greig (D-Farmington, Farmington Hills), who was term-limited in 2020, has landed a new gig following six years in the state House of Representatives, the last two as the Minority Leader. She announced on Facebook, “I am thrilled to announce that I have joined Future Now as their Senior Advisor, Lawmaker Engagement! In this new role, I will be working directly with legislators from other states in exploring policy that truly improves lives.” She’ll


MONEY SAYS IT ALL
Neither the Michigan Republican Party nor one of its co-chairs, millionaire Ron Weiser, are admitting any wrongdoing. But the U of M regent has donated $200,000 from his personal funds to the state GOP to allow the party to resolve a complaint, filed by former GOP Chairwoman Laura Cox, that Weiser paid that same amount from state party funds to Stan Grot, Shelby Township clerk, to not seek the secretary of state position at the party’s 2018 convention. The SOS was investigati