Michigan Republicans plan to use primary, caucuses to award presidential delegates

Lansing — The leaders of the Michigan Republican Party are expected to vote Saturday on a plan to use a two-part system to pick which GOP presidential candidates will win the state's delegates to the national convention in July 2024.

Under a proposed "resolution of intent" obtained by The Detroit News, 10 or about one-fifth of the state's 52 national convention delegates would be given to the presidential candidate who wins the state's Feb. 27, 2024 primary election. However, three-quarters of the delegates, 39, would be divvied up by 13 congressional district caucus meetings occurring on March 2, according to the proposal.

Three other delegates would automatically go to Michigan's members of the Republican National Committee.

In the past, the primary election has primarily dictated which candidates' delegates were selected. In 2016, for instance, Michigan's delegates were awarded in proportion to the statewide vote.

The last Michigan GOP caucuses for a presidential race happened 35 years ago in 1988, when the Rev. Pat Robertson challenged then-Vice President George Bush and then-U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp of New York. Delegates walked out of at least 26 of Michigan's 124 county conventions, according to the New York Times, prompting the Bush campaign to accuse Robertson's campaign of attempting to sow confusion and deny the vice president a victory.

The Michigan Republican Party's state committee is expected to vote on the "resolution of intent" Saturday during a meeting in Grand Rapids. Michigan Republicans crafted the plan in discussions with the Republican National Committee, according to two sources with knowledge of the exchanges who were not authorized to discuss them.

"Our policy committee approved it Thursday evening. We will need to approve it Saturday," wrote Malinda Pego, co-chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, in an email to state committee members.

Kristina Karamo, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, didn't immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.

The Republican primary race in Michigan is expected to be contested with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence among the challengers to former President Donald Trump for the nomination. DeSantis and Pence have both made stops in Michigan in recent months, and Trump is scheduled to visit on June 25.

But Michigan Republicans have faced challenges over next year's primary because Democrats, who control the state Legislature and worked with the Democratic National Committee, moved the date of the election from March to Feb. 27.

The Republican National Committee's rules would penalize Michigan Republicans for scheduling their primary that early by decreasing its number of delegates at the GOP national convention.

"...(T)he 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," the "resolution of intent" acknowledges.

By awarding 10 delegates to the winner of the primary, the Michigan GOP will "ensure that Michigan voters who identify with the Republican Party have the incentive to participate in the primary election currently scheduled for Feb. 27, 2024," according to the proposed resolution.

The idea would also "minimize the penalty" for non-compliance with national Republican rules, the resolution says.

Before the primary, at some point in February, the GOP plan says there would be a "presidential candidate rally" in Michigan.

After the primary, on March 2, there would be 13 congressional district caucuses, featuring delegates selected at county conventions, with votes on the GOP presidential contenders. Each district's three delegates would go to the district's presidential winner, according to the proposal.

"The district shall require that all RNC delegates and alternates be bound to the district winner for thefirst two rounds," the resolution says of the Republican national convention in July 2024.

Jason Cabel Roe, a political strategist and former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, said the proposed system would give Michigan's delegates to Trump because predominantly pro-Trump forces dominate the party's structure.

"If I were one of the other candidates, I wouldn’t even bother competing in Michigan," Roe said.

He labeled the situation a "missed opportunity" because a traditional primary would have drawn candidates, attention and millions of dollars of spending by campaigns.

Dan Wholihan, chairman of Michigan's 7th District Republican committee, tweeted Friday the alternative was using the traditional primary process and the state losing the wide majority of its delegates because of national GOP rules.

"This proposal isn't perfect, but at least keeps that primary while likely avoiding the penalty," Wholihan tweeted.

The Michigan Republican Party has to file its final plan for the presidential primary with the Republican National Committee by Oct. 1.

On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, told reporters that Michigan Republicans would lose 90% of their convention delegates if they went forward with the traditional primary process on Feb. 27.

Nesbitt has suggested both Democrats and Republicans should come together and hold the primary on March 1 or March 2.

"We've heard over the years that the Democrats have pushed for a Saturday election," Nesbitt said. "Let's give it a try. Let's have a March 2 primary."

cmauger@detroitnews.com