DETROIT – Michigan Republicans gathered in Detroit on Saturday to elect a new chair who will lead the party into the 2026 midterms in the battleground state, when several key races will be decided including a critical U.S. Senate seat.
A state lawmaker beat out two other candidates, including a loyal ally to President Donald Trump who is charged with acting as a fake elector for Trump in 2020 and had his endorsement for the chair position.
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The convention began as a victory lap celebrating Republican wins in the fall — including flipping the state for Trump — before quickly turning to the all-important races ahead in 2026. After a tumultuous few years for the party defined by infighting, here is what's at stake.
Who was running?
The most well-known candidate was Meshawn Maddock, a MAGA activist, close campaign ally to President Donald Trump and former party co-chair. Maddock faces eight forgery and conspiracy charges in an alleged false elector case stemming from the 2020 election.
Maddock has refuted the charges, saying the prosecution is politically motivated and she believes the charges will be dropped.
In the end, State Sen. Jim Runestad whipped more delegates after two rounds of voting to secure the position, despite ongoing criticism that he will be working two jobs between his elected office and the party chairmanship. He said he will not be stepping down from the Legislature and dismissed the concerns, saying because Republicans are in the minority in the Senate, it will not take much of his time.
“I have been winning elections because I brought in the dollars,” he told delegates in an address. “And as your next MIGOP chairman, I will raise the funds we need to defeat the Democrats.”
While Maddock has been popular with grassroots Republicans, she has rankled many in the party — butting heads with traditional donors and others. Known for her unapologetically abrasive style, she was on attack against the other two chair candidates throughout the race.
Trump had endorsed her Thursday before the convention.
“In the spirit of party unity, I would like to make a motion to cast a unanimous ballot for my senator Jim Runestad,” she said in a brief concession address to delegates.
Maddock was co-chair of the party during the 2022 election when Democrats saw resounding success in Michigan, something Runestad noted to delegates in his bid for the chair. Democrats won a trifecta that year — control of both chambers of the Legislature and the governor's office.
First elected to the state House of Representatives, Runestad has served 11 years in the statehouse as a staunch conservative. He made a platform for the chair out of criticizing the party’s relationship with consultants and vowed to unite different factions of the party going forward.
“My goal is that we are forward-looking and not looking backward at anything that may have been done wrong,” he said.
Rounding out the choices was Joseph Cella, a former Trump ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Who are Michigan's accused false electors?
Fifteen Republicans are accused of participating in a plan to falsely claim to be presidential electors for Trump in the 2020 election, despite Joe Biden's victory in Michigan that year. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, dropped charges against a 16th defendant after reaching a cooperation deal.
The defendants have denied their actions were illegal. Each were criminally charged with eight counts of forgery and conspiracy in the case alleging the group signed a document during a December 2020 meeting at the Michigan Republican headquarters falsely stating they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified electors.” The fake certificates were ignored.
Biden won Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes over then-President Donald Trump in 2020, a result confirmed by a GOP-led state Senate investigation in 2021.
Maddock and the other defendants are currently waiting for a county district judge to decide if there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial. The next court date is scheduled for March 28, about a month after the GOP convention.
What's at stake?
Michigan is set to be a key state to watch in the 2026 midterms, when Democrats will try to end Republicans' control of the U.S. House and Senate in hopes of blunting Trump's agenda.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters recently shocked the political world when he announced he is not seeking reelection, opening up a competitive seat. In 2024, Democrat Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeated Republican Mike Rogers for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Rogers came within less than 1 percentage point in November and is planning to run again. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is weighing whether to run.
Additionally, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term limited and names are lining up to replace her. Control of the state House of Representatives and Senate are on the line, as well as the offices of attorney general, secretary of state and two state Supreme Court seats.
Runestad will take over a party still recovering from a chaotic period defined by infighting and financial woes that started with a convention vote. A grassroots revolution in 2023 ushered in party chair Kristina Karamo, a political newcomer who denied the results of the 2020 election and lost the 2022 election for secretary of state.
Party finances tanked under her tenure, eventually forcing some Michigan Republicans, national Republicans and Trump himself to replace her with former congressman and ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Hoekstra is not seeking the position again as Trump has nominated him to serve as ambassador to Canada.
What about Democrats?
Across town, Democrats also picked their next party chair Saturday.
Former state lawmaker and congressional candidate Curtis Hertel Jr. was selected for the role. Hertel unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House in the 2024 election, losing to former state lawmaker and Army veteran Tom Barrett by nearly 4 percentage points.