LANSING — As the GOP race for governor remains quiet, here’s where Republicans stand one week into June.
Gubernatorial candidate and January 6th insurrectionist Ryan Kelley continues to earn press for his participation in the violent storming of our nation’s Capitol that killed five and injured 140 officers in Washington DC. In his defense of the Big Lie, Kelley reportedly resisted Capitol police’s riot control efforts to keep the mob he was immersed in from breaching the building. We’re still waiting for MIGOP co-chairs Ron Weiser, Meshawn Maddock, or any other Republican brave enough to condemn Kelley and push back against the extremism brewing amongst their ranks.
James Craig spent his first week of retirement doing more of the same — dodging questions about where he stands on the issues that matter to Michiganders and how much he plans to align himself with Trump. Excerpts below from his interview with Politico:
THE RECAST: OK, let me switch gears here and ask a couple of questions about the direction of the Republican Party. I mean, your take on these issues are kind of big question marks, big unknowns.
CRAIG: I guess until I announce, I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds because now I’m in the seat of a potential candidate. So I’m trying to keep it a little light if that makes sense. […]
THE RECAST: Well, one of the biggest hurdles too is former President Trump’s pull on the party. Do you feel like that is going to be an impediment to your potential candidacy?
CRAIG: The [former] president has certainly made some very favorable comments specific to me. And I do appreciate and certainly appreciate his continued support for law enforcement.
But, I don’t want to get into specific comments he’s made.
As far as Republican leadership goes, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey — who has been a staunch opponent of bipartisan legislation that would require lawmakers to disclose their financial holdings — got some sunshine of his own this week in the form of a Detroit Metro Times article exposing his secret company operating in China. Now that the truth is out, we’ll see if Shirkey continues to “quietly profit” from the country while embracing the anti-Asian racism of calling COVID-19 the “China flu.”
