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Trump loyalists and #NeverTrumpers are battling for control of the Michigan GOP, and the war is likely to spread to other states, an authoritative observer writes in a national publication.
Yes, politics and political infighting can be ugly, as Michigan political reporter Susan J. Demas writes in Salon magazine:
While Donald Trump was stumbling through another bad campaign spell late last month, punctuated by his refusal to commit to accepting the election’s results, Republican politics took a bizarre turn in Michigan.
Even in a year of frequent, bitter clashes between various factions in the Grand Old Party, this one stands out. And it’s undoubtedly a sign of what’s to come in other states after Nov. 8.
On one side stood Michigan Republican Party chair Ronna Romney McDaniel – who’s not only the niece of the ultimate #NeverTrumper, 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, but who also happens to be the granddaughter of former Michigan governor George Romney, godfather of the 1964 (pre-hashtag) Never Goldwater contingent. On the other side stood vice chair Wendy Day, a telegenic, born-again military wife and mom who’s been active in pro-life and Tea Party causes for years.
So when McDaniel removed Day from her state party post less than three weeks before the election, an outcry swiftly followed.
But this round of Trumpers vs. the #Never crowd played out far differently than you’d expect. It’s actually McDaniel who’s carrying water for Trump, and Day, who ran Ted Cruz’s Michigan campaign, who opposes the nominee from the right “as a matter of conscience.”
Susan J. Demas is publisher of Inside Michigan Politics newsletter.
