By, Michelle Hazekamp
June 12, 2022
On Saturday, June 10, the Michigan Republican State Committee attended a scheduled meeting in Grand Rapids and voted for a resolution that will be presented to the Republican National Committee (RNC) in an attempt to wave penalties invoked upon them as a result of the Democratic Michigan Legislature changing our Presidential Primary date.
In February 2023, the Democratic majority Michigan Legislature wasted no time to begin strategies that would advance their agenda for a hopeful victory in the 2024 Presidential Election. By avoiding a committee hearing, they voted to move our Presidential Primary from its normal time in March, to February 27 under the "suspension of the rules" clause, in which every Democratic Representative in Lansing voted in favor of. So why is this significant? The RNC bylaws state that any State holding a Presidential Primary before March 1, will be penalized, even if it is out of their control. This penalty reduces our allotted voting delegates at the RNC Primary Convention from 55 to now, only 12. The Democrat majority in Lansing knew this and wasted no time in de-moralizing the Republican Party and de-ligitimizing the voices of Michigan in an attempt to curtail the chances of President Trump from becoming the Republican Nominated Candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election.
The following is the MIGOP "Resolution of Intent" presented to the RNC:
A CONDITIONAL BINDING RESOLUTION OF INTENT FOR THE MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PARTY STATE COMMITTEE REGARDING THE SELECTION OF PRESIDENTIAL DELEGATES FOR 2024
WHEREAS the Michigan Republican Party can reject the Michigan statute and select delegates by primary,
convention, and/or caucus as the freedom of association is guaranteed by the US Constitution and Michigan
Constitution. This right is protected despite regard to Michigan law stating to the contrary.
WHEREAS Michigan has the right to send fifty-five delegates to the RNC Convention
• 3 Delegates for the RNC members
• 10 At large delegates
• 39 Delegates for the three per congressional districts
• 3 Bonus Delegates
WHEREAS the Democrat-controlled legislature and Governor have moved the Michigan primary to February 27,
2024, and to the fourth Tuesday of February in every Presidential Primary year by enacting MCL 168.613a and
that will result in a violation of RNC Rule 17a which requires that a primary in which the delegates are
apportioned cannot occur prior to March 1 (and delegates apportioned to winner take all cannot occur prior to
March 15) without substantial loss of delegates, and thereby loss of Michigan Republicans voice in this political
process.
WHEREAS the Michigan Primary is run by local and county election clerks and supervised by the Michigan
Secretary of State and there is no feasible manner for the Michigan Republican Party to run a primary on any date
other than the official date selected by the state.
WHEREAS the RNC Rule 16f requires the Michigan Republican Party to file the complete plan by October 1, 2023,
but due to the reasons stated above the Party is entering into a binding resolution of intent on June 10, 2023, for
the purpose of settling the dispute and to provide ample notice to the campaigns that wish to contest for the
Michigan Delegates.
WHEREAS this Resolution is designed to provide for representation of voters, maximize participation in the
Michigan Presidential Candidate Rally by candidates and the base, provide for maximum county and district
involvement in the process, provide for a delegate selection process that the RNC will not penalize, provide for a
process that minimizes any election fraud that could impact on Presidential candidate selection, to
restore Michigan’s full count of delegates and provides for the certainty of how electors will vote in the RNC
convention in an apportioned manner.
WHEREAS, RNC Rule 16f(4) provides a process for obtaining a waiver of the requirement in RNC Rule 16a(1)
from the RNC Executive Committee for selecting delegates to the Republican Presidential Convention which
requires that selection be by primary conducted after March 1, 2024, unless compliance is impossible and a
waiver is in the best interests of the Republican Party.
IT IS RESOLVED that this resolution is binding BUT conditioned on the granting of a Waiver of Rule 16a(1) by the
RNC Executive Committee on or before July 21, 2023.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that Delegate Selection Plan to be filed under RNC rule 16f on or before October 1,
2023, shall comply with the resolution when the condition is met.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that each of the thirteen Congressional District Committees shall hold a Caucus at 10
AM EST on March 2, 2024, at a location within their District; AND, that a virtual State Committee meeting will be
held at 8:30 PM EST on March 2, 2024, for the purpose of selecting delegates in accordance with this resolution.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that to ensure that Michigan voters who identify with the Republican party have the
incentive to participate in the Primary Election currently scheduled for February 27, 2024,1 and to eliminate the
penalty from non-compliance with Rule 17a, Michigan will elect the 10 at-large delegates at the Primary
conducted by local election clerks and award the 10 At-Large delegates, the three (3) bonus delegates, and the
three (3) RNC by the Republican Primary process as determined by the official or unofficial result as of March 1,
2024.
The 13 At-Large Delegates and 13 alternates to the RNC Convention will be selected in the following
manner;
• Majority Winner Take All If the primary has a winner who wins by a majority defined by RNC
Rule 16c (2) then the campaign of the Presidential candidate shall provide not less than 45 nor
more than 60 names. These at-large and bonus delegates will be bound to vote for the
candidate if the candidate remains in the contest.
• Apportionment. If the primary has a plurality winner, then no delegates will be awarded to all
candidates by proportion. The delegates will be divided by rounding down to the nearest
number. The campaign of the Presidential candidate shall nominate 2 names for each
delegate and alternate awarded. If this leaves a full delegate uncommitted, then that
delegate shall go to the plurality winner. These at-large and bonus delegates will be bound to
vote for the candidate if the candidate remains in the contest. The 3 RNC delegates will only
be bound for one round.
• For the purposes of these Rules, certain at-large delegates (the most recent Republican
nominees for state senate, state representative, county-wide and county commission
positions where such person resides in the county in question) shall be given the same
preference as precinct delegates.
The determination of delegates will be based on results as reported by the Michigan Secretary of State
as of 12 noon EST on March 1 ,2024, on these delegates from their loyal supporters in the following process:
1. The credentialing committee will verify that the person is a qualified Elector who resides in the state of
Michigan and is a Republican (not affiliated with any third party or the Democrat Party). The potential
delegates and alternates will be contacted to verify that they will be able to attend the RNC Presidential
Convention at their own expense.
2. The names will be placed on an “at-large delegate ballot” by the credentialing committee and a flyer will
be created with the biographies of the eligible to become delegates and alternates.
3. If a presumptive plurality winner of the Michigan Presidential Primary has been determined by noon EST
on March 1, 2024, then the District Caucuses will vote on the at-large ballot.
*The actual date of the Primary can be altered by the date in which the Democratic controlled Legislature ends their session. This will determine the actual date and will occur too late for the Michigan Republican Party to plan for the 2024 Presidential Election.
4. In the event, that a presumptive plurality winner of the Michigan Republican Presidential Primary has not
been determined by noon EST on March 1, 2024, then the nominations of not less than 30 nor more than
forty are due from the campaign of the plurality winner not less than 72 hours after the official results are
posted. After verification by the credentialing committee, then the State Committee will select from the
eligible nominated delegates at a special meeting called for the purpose of selecting these delegates not
less than 10 days after the official results are posted.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Chair will issue a call to County Convention no later than January 15,
2024, for each county to select delegates to attend the District Caucus on March 2, 2024, at 10 am EST and to
nominate Delegates and Alternates to attend or participate at the RNC Convention. No other business will be
conducted at the County Convention which will abide by the Rules approved by the State Committee in the plan
submitted to the RNC by October 1, 2023.
• The County shall elect delegates and alternates to the District Caucus. The County Convention shall
require the delegates to be voted on individually and not by slate using the following preference
rules:
o A precinct delegate who attended the State Presidential Candidates Rally to be held between
February 3 and February 24, 2024, shall have priority.
o To be eligible for nomination as an RNC delegate, the precinct delegate must first be elected
by their county party at the convention to attend District Caucus and verified by the County
Executive Committee that the person is an elector who resides in the County and a
participating member of the County Republican Party who intends to attend the RNC
convention at their own expense. The person must also be identified at the County
Convention as committed to a candidate before the election to attend the District Caucus.
o If more precinct delegates attended than allowed, the nominations will be closed. If there are
fewer precinct delegates that attended than available delegates to District Caucus, then
those precinct delegates will fill the seats and an election from other precinct delegates will
fill the remaining seats at District Caucus. This rule is designed to encourage participation in
the 2024 election process and to have the delegates informed of their choices.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the District Caucuses will take place at 10 AM EST at a location selected by each
District Executive Committee on March 2, 2024, for the following purposes:
1. The District Caucuses shall each elect three (3) RNC delegates and (3) RNC alternates from their District to
go to the RNC National Presidential Convention.
• The District Caucuses will be at a location within the district selected by the District Executive
Committee.
• The District Caucuses will be conducted by the Rules approved by the State Committee in the plan
submitted to the RNC by October 1, 2023. No other business will be conducted at the District
Caucuses.
• The district caucuses will be required to first vote for the Presidential candidate. If there is a clear
majority after the first vote, then there will be no further votes on the candidate. If there is a plurality
winner, then the top two candidates will be voted for in a second round to establish a majority
winner.
• The next order of business will be to select the RNC delegates from the delegates nominated by the
County Conventions within the District that committed to the winning candidate. All RNC delegate
candidates who identified with the candidate who won the district during their nomination at the
county election are eligible to run for the RNC delegate or alternate positions.
• Each District Executive Committee shall determine the number of nominations that the Counties may
make of committed delegates AND ensure the participation of all counties in a fair proportional
manner within the district by creating Supplemental District Rules for the nomination process that
will be approved by the state policy committee. The Proposed Supplemental Rules must be submitted
by the District Rules Committee no later than December 15, 2023. The proposed Supplemental
District Rules shall ensure that all counties have submitted nominations for RNC delegates and
alternates that will support all candidates that the county desires to have considered. The potential
nominees for RNC delegates and alternates shall identify which candidate they will support at the
County Convention and that will be recorded as part of their nomination. If a district fails to submit
Proposed Rules by December 15, 2023, and/or if the rules are not approved by the Policy Committee,
then the Policy Committee shall, at their sole discretion, require a standard set of rules to be utilized
by that district caucus.
• All RNC delegates and alternates shall be required to attend at their own expense unless the District
Executive Committee provides for reimbursement of part, or all, of their expenses.
• The district shall require that all RNC delegates and alternates be bound to the district winner for the
first two rounds. Following the second round, if one or more rounds are still required, district
delegates shall become unbound and each delegate may then vote as each delegate sees fit.
• All ballots will be counted with the Unity for MRP process with tellers counting by hand.
2. The District Caucus shall also vote for a national committeeman and national committeewoman on a
ballot prepared by the credentialing committee and will also prepare a flyer containing the biographies of
all national committee candidates.
• All candidates for the national committee may prepare a video for presentation at District Caucuses
not to exceed five (5) Minutes.
• Any candidate for the national committee may in addition appear on the podium for a brief
introduction in their home District.
• All ballots will be counted with the Unity for MRP process with tellers counting by hand.
• To be nominated as a candidate for the national committee, the candidate will have to comply with
rules established by the State Policy Committee and approved by the State Central Committee. These
rules will be available by October 1, 2023.
3. If a presumptive plurality winner of the Michigan Presidential Primary has been determined by noon EST
on March 1, 2024, then the District Caucuses will also vote on the at-large ballot:
o An at-large delegate ballot will be voted on at the District Caucuses on March 2, 2024, with
each delegate to the District Caucuses voting for not more than five (5) delegates.
o The District Caucus’ tellers will count the ballots by hand using Unity for MRP process.
o The total number of votes per at-large delegate will be certified by the District Executive
Committee before the State Committee meeting.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Committee will participate in a virtual meeting at 8:30 pm EST on March
2, 2024, for the purpose of receiving the vote totals from the District Caucuses and for confirming the results for
the Presidential Delegates and Alternates.
• Each District will report its results by 7:00 PM EST to the State Secretary who will total the results and
provide them to the Chair and Co-chair before the meeting with the preliminary total results kept
confidential until the meeting is commenced.
• The results of the District Caucuses will be confirmed at the 8:30 PM EST meeting with each District
reporting on the record. The district will present all results at the State Committee meeting on March
2, 2024, and the results will be weighted by the district to ensure equal representation by District.
o The results will be confirmed at the 8:30 PM EST meeting with each District reporting on the
record. The district will present all results at the State Committee meeting on March 2, 2024,
and the results will be weighted by the district to ensure equal representation by District.
o The Secretary of the Michigan Republican Party will provide notice by posting the results on
the Michigan Republican Party Website, posting the results on the MIGOP social media, and
notifying both the campaign and delegates by email of the official result.
o The Primary Results will be confirmed and the official RNC Convention delegates will be
awarded by the State Committee.
Michigan Republican State Committee Policy Committee 6-10-2023
Below I have included the email Rescue Michigan sent to their subscribers that I believe does an excellent job at explaining the whole situation that occurred in February with the Legislature, how it effects the Republican Party & Presidential Primary, and how this resolution now gives us an advantage:
In this dark age of Democrat control over our State, good news is few and far between, but today's news is absolutely glorious.
In one stroke, the Michigan Republican Party just took back control over how we choose our presidential nominee from the Democrats – and even turned the Democrats' scheme against them.
This is a complicated story, but absolutely critical in how it shapes the presidential race, so I hope you bear with me as I explain exactly what just happened.
What the Michigan GOP just did will not only transform the presidential race; it will reshape the Michigan Republican Party for years to come.
This is a lot to explain. Let's start at the beginning.
In February, Democrats in the Michigan Legislature voted to move Michigan's presidential primary from March to February 27.
The bill to do so was never even referred to a committee for a hearing: it was simply brought up under suspension of the rules.
It was opposed by all of the Republicans, and supported by all of the Democrats.
What were the Democrats up to?
First, it was a way to damage and demoralize Republicans by controlling our process. Under national rules, Michigan would have gotten only 12 delegates to the Republican National Convention, instead of 55, if we held our primary so early that it violated the RNC's rules. Democrats knew this.
Second, Democrats wanted to make Michigan an early primary state, just in case something terrible happens to Joe Biden (God forbid!) and they have an open presidential contest.
It was their way of pleasuring Governor Gretchen Whitmer by setting up an early boost should she (God forbid!) run for President.
But most importantly, it was a way to invite Democrats to meddle in the Republican primary.
You see, the Democrats have moved the South Carolina primary ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire. Why? Because the Democrat machine in South Carolina controls the outcome.
Remember that in 2020, the Democrats had no clear winner after Iowa and New Hampshire. Joe Biden underperformed pitifully. He was on track to be forced out of the running.
Then came South Carolina, and Jim Clyburn's political machine kicked into gear. Clyburn, the House Democrat Whip, effectively controls South Carolina's Democrat politics, and engineered Joe Biden's victory in the South Carolina primary.
Immediately after that, almost all of the Democrat candidates dropped out of the race. At John Lewis's funeral, Bill Clinton even thanked Jim Clyburn for ending the race, saying Clyburn "with the stroke of a hand, ended an intra-family fight."
The Democrats have rigged their own race to be decided in the very first contest: South Carolina. (Just as they rigged their past contests to defeat Bernie Sanders.)
So, when the February Michigan primary rolls around, Democrats would vote in the Republican primary.
(Not to mention, all of the concerns about vote fraud in a Democrat-controlled election process in which all of the safeguards against election fraud have been removed will be well-founded.)
But what happened today changed everything.
Under the plan the Michigan Republican Party adopted today, the early primary election will still happen, but only 13 national delegates will be bound by the results. 39 delegates will be chosen at convention, and will support the candidate chosen by delegates at congressional district caucuses, 3 from each of Michigan's 13 congressional districts.
So, first of all, we get our national delegates back, and we actually elect more national delegates who win the primary than we do if the state GOP would, had they not adopted this plan.
And we still get to be an early primary state that will be enormously influential and shape the presidential race.
But not only that, our precinct delegates will elect state delegates who more largely determine the outcome of the nomination from our state.
I have no doubt that precinct delegates' votes will correspond with Republican public opinion on who they choose to nominate. But this will forever change the Republican Party. People will discover how important it is to become precinct delegates. Next year, I expect thousands of new people will become precinct delegates.
And here's the best part: Since the primary will be the lesser contest, Republicans will be free to vote in the Democrat presidential primary, if they choose to do so.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is challenging Joe Biden for the nomination. He may not be a conservative, but unlike Biden, he is an honest and decent man who fights for working-class Americans against the corporate mafia government.
He led the fight against all of the tyrannical policies the government implemented on the pretense of fighting Covid.
And Michigan has one of the earliest primary elections!
So, to summarize:
– Democrats tried to screw over Republicans by making the primary extremely early – Republicans just screwed them back, by making our primary of secondary concern and inviting conservatives to vote in the hugely influential Democrat primary election – We kept all of our national delegates, and made Michigan one of the most important states in the presidential race – We created a massive incentive for people to get involved with the Republican Party as precinct delegates
For Liberty,
Adam de Angeli
President
Rescue Michigan Coalition
