Red hats, ties and delegate signs filled Mount Pleasant’s Soaring Eagle Casino on Saturday as Michigan’s Republican Party solidified its side of the ballot for this year’s general election in November.
The party hosted its annual nominating convention to finalize its nominees and rally support for grassroots policies.
The general election will be highly contested as Michiganders choose candidates at nearly every level of government in the state.
Chair of the Michigan Republican Party, state Sen. Jim Runestad, said he “couldn't be more excited” about the state of his party.
“It's rare to have this kind of unity,” he said.
The Iran war has driven gas prices up and lowered the approval ratings of Republican President Donald Trump, who was rarely mentioned during the convention. Runestad said he’s confident there will be a resolution to end to the war.
“I remember when Obama was underwater with massive polls, and then it turned around,” he said. “I think if we can get some kind of resolution to the Middle East and we still have months to go, that could change very, very rapidly. I've seen if there's even it looks like a negotiated deal is going to come, gas prices go down."
State officials joined delegates for the convention to show their support for GOP candidates, who voiced their priorities in a series of speeches.
After a quiet primary as the Republican Party’s only U.S. Senate candidate, Mike Rogers threw jabs at his Democratic opponent, former Wayne County public health official Abdul El-Sayed.
“El-Sayed wants to represent Palestine,” he said. “I want to represent Michigan.”
Rogers, who has held offices in both the state legislature and U.S. House of Representatives, narrowly lost Michigan’s U.S. Senate race in 2024 against Democrat Elissa Slotkin.
In an attempt to redeem his loss, Rogers is trying to gather support from voters, including conflicted Democrats following a highly contested primary race between El-Sayed and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens.
“I'm worried about whether young couples here in Michigan can afford a home, whether parents can afford their electric bills, whether Michigan graduates have the skills to earn a good living,” Rogers said.
El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate race by roughly 15,000 votes on the Aug. 4 primary and has heavily campaigned against supporting military aid for foreign countries.
“I’m opposed to unconditional military aid to any country,” he told CNN in a report on Aug. 5.
In a similar fashion, U.S. Rep. John James, the Republican nominee in the race to be Michigan's next governor, told the crowd that Democratic candidates such as El-Sayed would “take Michigan in the wrong direction.”
James will be facing Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for the state’s highest office this November.
“They are one team,” James said. “A team of extremism, weakness, and cowardice.”
Both Rogers and James didn’t take questions from the press following the convention.
Delegates unanimously voted for candidates for state and local races and said they feel confident about this year’s election.
“I think you’re going to see a strong turnout in the fall with all of our candidates,” said Oakland County Republican Party Chair Robert Patrick.
Vice chair of the Roscommon County Republican Party Bonnie Zabel touted similar thoughts about the candidates.
She said that her county has done a lot of work with attorney general candidate Doug Loyd, a prosecutor from Eaton County, and secretary of state candidate, former state Rep. Anthony Forlini
“They want to bring back transparency and accountability, and that’s huge,” Zabel said. “That resonates with me and the things I do outside of the Republican Party.”
Early polling for the Cook Political Report shows that the U.S. Senate race in Michigan is a toss-up between Rogers and El-Sayed. Their polling shows Benson having a small lead against James.
“Jocelyn Benson stands with the radical left and will not denounce it,” James said toward the end of his speech. “I stand with Americans, Americans who have served since 9/11. I stand with you, and I say never forget."
Michigan’s Democratic Party told the Detroit News that the Trump-endorsed candidates “will always put Trump and his agenda first, even at the expense of Michigan.”
"While Republicans embrace Trump, Democrats are speaking with Michiganders about what keeps them up at night and sharing our plans to lower costs, raise wages, and protect our rights,” Curtis Hertel Jr., chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, told the Detroit News. “Michigan Democrats are energized to take our country back this November"
WCMU's AJ Jones contributed reporting to this story.
