LANSING — Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes issued the following statement on Sandy Pensler’s entrance into the “caustic” and “radioactive” Republican “Senate showdown” in Michigan:
“Michigan Republicans’ nasty and bruising intra-party fight is getting worse by the day. Republicans are guaranteed to be left with a badly-damaged nominee who is out of touch with Michiganders. Just like Republicans’ other Senate candidates, Pensler is on the wrong side of the issues that matter most to the people of our state: backing the 2017 tax giveaway to the wealthy like himself, calling Roe v. Wade ‘tyrannical,’ and opposing fair wages for working Michiganders.”
What to know about Sandy Pensler and the “caustic,” “radioactive,” and “aggressive” Michigan GOP Senate primary:
- Pensler called Roe v. Wade “tyrannical,” opposed fair wages for working Michiganders, and supported the 2017 tax giveaway to the ultra-wealthy like himself.
- The Cook Political Report: “the Republican contest is shaping up to be a doozy…a microcosm of the broader fight within the Republican party.”
- The Messenger: Private Power-Player Phone Calls Roil Michigan’s GOP Senate Race: ‘These Things Get Ugly:’ “…what’s in store for Michigan once Craig challenges Rogers: a brutal Republican primary where once-friendly allies are already accusing each other of skullduggery and outright deceit.”
- Washington Examiner: Peter Meijer says Republican leaders told him Michigan is ‘not winnable:’ “Former Republican Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer said Republicans believe the 2024 Senate race in Michigan cannot be won.”
- POLITICO: Senate GOP campaign arm whacks Meijer for entering Michigan Senate race.
- HuffPost: This Swing-State Senate Primary Will Test Whether Republicans Can Quit MAGA: “Michigan, home to one of the most MAGA-crazed GOP bases in the country, is set to host the premier Senate showdown between loyalists to former President Donald Trump and establishment Republicans focused on electability above all else.”
- The Hill: “The barrage of negative press has many Michigan Republicans worried that the state of the party will hinder their efforts in what is expected to be a major political battleground next year… Republicans critical of the state party have expressed doubt that they will be able to right the ship given the party’s financial issues and infighting.”
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