MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The road to the White House runs through Michigan, so it's no surprise the battleground state took center stage at the the Republican National Convention this week.
The gathering of GOP activists from across the country offered a chance for the Michigan GOP to demonstrate on the national stage its recovery from a period of protracted infighting that saw competing factions fighting for control of the state party. But in Milwaukee, Michigan Republicans teamed up to show their support for former President Donald Trump and tried to heed calls for party unity.
Michigan GOP comes together
Michigan's Republican delegation stayed at a hotel in Madison — just over an hour's drive from Milwaukee. But once they made the daily trek to the convention site, they had prime seats at Fiserv Forum. The field trip to another battleground state for the convention offered an opportunity for a bit of bonding for Michigan Republicans who just several months earlier were mired in a leadership battle.
"We're past that. We're focused on winning," Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra told reporters during a delegation breakfast to kick off the convention. On the convention floor, Michigan Republicans cheered on speakers from their state and took selfies together.
Michigan speakers take the stage
On the convention stage, U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, shared his personal story with the crowd on Monday, talking about his father's upbringing in the segregated South and his father's rise as a Black businessman. He said that his parents taught him that the U.S. is not a racist country. James narrowly won his congressional race in 2022.
While he received a warm welcome at the RNC, he's preparing for a competitive race back home.
"I am expecting a very, very tough race," he told the Free Press on the convention floor. "And we're not taking anything for granted."
James faces no GOP challenger in the upcoming Aug. 6 primary while four Democrats are fighting to take on James, including former Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga, who came close to beating James in the 2022 election.
Republican Mike Rogers is also on track for a close battle for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat. He brought Michigan Republicans to their feet during his speech at the RNC.
He railed against electric vehicles, blamed President Joe Biden for inflation and argued four more years with Biden in the White House will make the country less safe.
"And listen, our adversaries aren't stupid. They know that all's they need to do is wait until nap time at the White House to push the limit," Rogers said Tuesday, joking about Biden's physical fitness. He's the GOP frontrunner while U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, appears to have a lead in the Democratic race.
When Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson took the stage Tuesday, the Michigan GOP delegation chanted "Perry." The self-proclaimed "quality guru" was one of several GOP gubernatorial candidates knocked off the Michigan ballot in 2022 when a signature fraud scandal left them without enough valid voter signatures to run.
Johnson also briefly sought the GOP presidential nomination for the 2024 election but suspended his campaign last fall. The band at the convention played him off the stage with a rendition of Smash Mouth's "All Star."
"It's fantastic," Johnson said of the energy he felt on stage after he spoke. "And then to have a crowd that's excited and so vibrant is just an awesome experience." He said he never thought he would have an opportunity to speak on stage at the RNC. He said the "Trump team" reached out to a former campaign aide about having him speak.
While most speakers delivered traditional campaign remarks, Lorenzo Sewell — senior pastor of 180 Church in Detroit — delivered a kind of sermon, saying Trump survived an assassination attempt "a millimeter by a miracle." Sewell recently hosted Trump for a roundtable in Detroit where the former president courted Black voters.
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Trump's VP pick makes Michigan quips
During JD Vance's speech Wednesday night to accept his party's vice presidential nomination, the U.S. Senator from Ohio made a couple of jokes about Michigan.
When the Ohio Republican delegation yelled "O-H-I-O," Vance joined in the chants before trying to cut them off. "You guys, we got to chill with the Ohio love. We got to win Michigan, too, here," he joked.
Sharing his personal biography, he said that after leaving the Marines, he went to "THE Ohio State University," prompting cheers and jeers from opposite sides of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry.
"I'm sorry Michigan, I had to get that in there," he said.
Vance will make his debut in the battleground state Saturday at a Trump rally in Grand Rapids. It'll mark the first one since Trump selected Vance as his vice president pick and the former president survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally July 13.
Contact Clara Hendrickson atchendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter,@clarajanehen.
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