Former U.S. Congressman Pete Hoekstra Hopes to Become Michigan GOP Chair, Karamo Refuses to Step Down

MICHIGAN, Jan. 10, 2023 ~ While at least one person has already made their intentions to become the next Michigan GOP chairperson, Kristina Karamo is still refusing to step down after she was voted out as the party’s leader.

Following a Saturday meeting where 40 members of the MIGOP State Committee voted to remove Karamo as chairperson, former U.S. Congressman and Netherlands Ambassador under former President Donald Trump Pete Hoekstra said he was seeking the leadership position on “‘JR Afternoon with Chris Renwick.” Karamo, who gained notoriety for denying the results of the 2020 presidential election during her bid for Michigan Secretary of State, claimed the meeting was not valid under the party’s bylaws and is refusing to concede her position.

“It’s a matter of leadership and a matter of making sure Republicans get focused on what needs to be done,” Hoekstra said to 760 WJR‘s Chris Renwick.

Hoekstra himself is no stranger to controversy either, having a history of accusations of racism that include running an ad during his 2012 U.S. Senate bid that depicted racist stereotypes of Asian people and made false claims that Muslim communities in the Netherlands set up “no-go zones” hostile to outsiders. He also continued to make unsubstantiated claims that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, even after the United States‘ invasion turned up no such weapons.