- Former congressman and U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has been elected as chair of the MI GOP
- This comes after former chairwoman Kristina Karamo was ousted from the party
- We spoke with Hoekstra about his goals for Michigan and how he plans to unite the party
(Transcript from full broadcast segment)
In a key political year, the Michigan GOP has a new leader. I talked with former congressman and U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra about the past, present, and future.
"The last couple of weeks have been fairly crazy," Hoekstra said.
Pete Hoekstra is the new chairman of the Michigan Republican Party after the contentious removal of former chairwoman Kristina Karamo.
"It's not factions, it's not fighting about policy, it's not personality, it was simply performance," Hoekstra explained. "Here's the metrics you have to hit as chairman of the state party; you're not hitting those metrics; we need a change."
The committee elected Hoekstra two weeks later, and now he's looking to unite the party and prepare Michiganders for a critical 2024. A U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs, and Michigan will likely be a focus in the race for president.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Hoekstra told me. "Let's unite now, and let's begin the process of putting together the structure so the people of Michigan know what they are voting for, and in my perspective, that they vote for the Republican agenda."
That agenda, Hoekstra told me, includes working to fix inflation, the cost of energy, and increased border security. He also believes it's time for Republicans in our neighborhoods to stand behind Donald Trump, even though Nikki Haley could still be on the ballot in next month's Presidential Primary.
Hoekstra told me, "She's got to make a decision as to when she will get out and those types of things. But the race, for all intents and purposes, is over."
Tommy Kubitschek, spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic Party, spoke on the MIGOP leadership change. “Whether it’s Karamo’s chaos or Hoekstra’s shady international business ties, the MIGOP is in disarray — consumed with petty squabbles for power that somehow make them even more ineffectual and irrelevant. Regardless of who is Chair, there’s no real leadership to be found. As the party of MAGA extremism, we’re not holding our breath that they get their act together any time soon.”
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