Though Michigan’s election results were certified years ago and have subsequently been backed up by more than 250 audits across the state since, all 12 GOP gubernatorial candidates have either stoked distrust around our democratic processes or committed to support legislation that will make it harder for all Michiganders to vote.
Among the crowded Republican field, snake oil salesman and rabid election conspiracy theorist Garrett Soldano has remained hell-bent on putting Michigan through costly and unnecessary audits in his endless crusade to undermine the democratic process and reverse the past.
Last September, he held a large rally in Antrim County to further the baseless belief that the 2020 election was stolen and advance the belief that “a full forensic audit of 2020 remains essential.”
Soldano has also refused to acknowledge the fact that the Republican-led Senate Oversight Committee released a 55-page report definitively stating that there was “no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud.” Presented by Committee Chair Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), the report additionally referred to the 2020 crusade as “a nationwide conspiracy to steal the election” in which its supporters “place all other statements and actions they make in a position of zero credibility.”
Instead, he called Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey a ‘RINO’ for standing by the report’s findings, an apparent signal that the Republican leader “actively tried to sweep the 2020 election results under the rug and prevent a forensic audit.” Soldano has pushed for an Arizona-style “audit” in Michigan, despite the multi-million dollar sham exercise reinforcing the fact that there is no evidence of fraud and actually netting more votes for Biden than in the certified results.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“As evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t presented Michiganders with a single plan that focuses on the issues they prioritize most – like building on Michigan’s economic gains and strengthening our infrastructure – Garrett Soldano launched his bid for governor to further his baseless crusade to relitigate and reverse a long since passed election. Michiganders deserve better than a leader too distracted by election conspiracy theories to put them first.”
