Republican Candidates Clear Signature Hurdle for Michigan Governor Race
In a significant development for Michigan’s gubernatorial race, two Republican candidates have successfully secured their spots on the August primary ballot. State election officials confirmed that Congressman John James and businessman Perry Johnson amassed enough valid signatures, overcoming challenges to their candidacies, while a third Republican hopeful did not meet the requirement.
The Michigan Board of State Canvassers, in a meeting held on Thursday, endorsed the Secretary of State’s certification of James and Johnson for the primary ballot. Both candidates faced scrutiny regarding their submitted signatures, but the election officials’ analysis ultimately favored their inclusion.
To determine the legitimacy of the signatures, the state Bureau of Elections conducted a random sampling of 750 signatures from each candidate’s petition. Accusations surfaced against James, alleging that some signatures were fraudulent, improperly completed, or belonged to individuals not registered to vote. However, the election staff found these claims largely unfounded, citing that some questioned signers, such as a supposed deceased voter, were actually legitimate due to shared names and addresses.
Similar accusations were directed at Johnson by challengers associated with the James campaign. Nonetheless, Johnson’s campaign had submitted a surplus of signatures, ensuring that any discarded ones did not disqualify him.
During the Board of State Canvassers meeting, concerns were raised by a lawyer from the political action committee Mission Michigan, referencing a Detroit News article alleging that Johnson’s campaign added a mandatory finance statement to petitions post-signature, an act described as “forgery under the election law” by attorney Michael Pattwell.
However, both the board and Johnson’s legal team dismissed these allegations as they were presented after the challenge deadline. Jon Burns, an attorney representing Johnson, labeled the accusations as “an obvious, bad faith smear attempt.”
Vice Chair Mary Ellen Gurewitz of the Board of State Canvassers noted the absence of an affidavit allegedly submitted to police, questioning the basis for action without concrete evidence.
While James and Johnson have successfully advanced, other candidates faced setbacks. Republican Pastor Ralph Rebandt failed to collect enough valid signatures based on the random sampling. Despite his efforts to secure additional time for validation, the board denied his request. Rebandt expressed his intention to challenge the sampling process in court, asserting that “the 750 [signature] sampling is bad, it’s a bad process.”
On the Democratic front, Kim Thomas was similarly found to have insufficient valid signatures, a decision she contested vigorously during the board meeting.
—
Read More Michigan News
