Kristina Karamo, who refused to concede her 14-point loss for secretary of state in 2022, beat former attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, who had Trump’s endorsement, in three rounds of contentious voting. The chaotic 11-hour convention, featuring a rowdy standoff over voting procedures and 10 candidates who all ran under a pro-Trump banner, left no doubt that the bulk of the party’s activists in this key battleground state remain firmly committed to election denial and showed no interest in moderating their message to appeal to the political center.
The outcome also dealt a tactical defeat to Trump, even though all the candidates competed for aligning themselves with him. Many delegates said they discounted or even resented Trump’s involvement in the race, especially after a midterm cycle that saw widespread wrangling over his down-ballot endorsements in the state.
In a Thursday speech to a right-wing “patriot” group in nearby Charlotte, Karamo argued that Christianity belonged at the core of American politics, called evolution “one of the biggest frauds ever perpetuated on society,” and asserted the existence of demons.
“When we start talking about the spiritual reality of the demonic forces, it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, this is crazy, we can’t go there,’” Karamo said. “No. It’s like, did you read the Bible? Didn’t Jesus perform exorcisms? … Scriptures are clear. And so if we’re not operating as though the spirit realities of the world exist, we’re going to fail every time.”
“Do I think it destroyed the state party? For sure,” Christine Barnes, an unsuccessful state House candidate who skipped this year’s convention, said of Trump’s interventions. “And the party is a hot mess right now.”
The outcome here Saturday underscores the stark reality confronting Republicans across the country: Months after general election voters across the country rejected extreme, election-denying candidates such as Karamo, DePerno and former Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, many party activists remain enthralled by them. Some Republicans have voiced concern that this trend could set the party back at the ballot box in future races.
DePerno attempted to edge her out by winning support from runners-up. His campaign had prepared fliers announcing the endorsement of JD Glaser, who received 12 percent of the vote in the first round. Glaser said DePerno secured his support by offering to make him policy director.
Between the second and third ballots, DePerno attempted to make another deal with the third runner-up, veteran GOP consultant Scott Greenlee, according to people familiar with the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. But Greenlee walked away from the offer and opted not to endorse either finalist.
Unlike at recent party elections in Arizona and the Republican National Committee, no consensus candidate emerged who could unite the party’s fractious coalition. Greenlee came closest, as an experienced operative with donor connections and pro-Trump bona fides stretching back to 2016. He also secured the endorsement of musician Ted Nugent and Ryan Kelley, a former gubernatorial candidate who has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
But Karamo, who turned to her bid for state chair quickly after her November loss, proved to have the strongest base of support and broadest appeal. Her campaign was vague and varied on specifics for what she would do as chair, saying in her speech on Thursday that her first priority would be to “get my hands around the operation.” She made faith central to her appeal, beginning her remarks that night by saying, “My goal number one as a Christian is to bring people to Christ, and secondarily to save our country.”
Many delegates interviewed named Karamo’s faith as one of their primary attractions to her. Her nomination was seconded by Petoskey attorney Dan Hartman, who said, “It’s not about election integrity … I want you to understand that I changed my life and decided to serve Christ.” Several other candidates prominently invoked Christianity in their campaigns.
The first several hours of the convention were taken up by an extended dispute over the how the votes would be counted, underscoring the mistrust among many delegates for both the previous party leadership and of election outcomes. “How many of us got in this fight because of flash drives and laptops?” one delegate said to cheers, arguing against using electronic equipment to record votes at the convention. With hand counts taking sometimes more than an hour for each round of voting, the convention lasted four hours longer than planned, wrapping up just before the venue was due to kick the Republicans out.
Despite his backing by the biggest name in Republican politics, DePerno ran a sluggish campaign, often seen wandering the convention hall alone. One delegate waiting to vote criticized him for using his allotted time to present a video endorsement from Trump rather than making his own speech.
“People love to talk about President Trump in a loss mode, but he’s a king. He’s our king,” outgoing GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock, who was supporting DePerno, said in an interview. “I’m so tired of hearing that our party has moved too far to the right. The problem is we haven’t moved far enough.”
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