Flint — Delegates to the Michigan Republican Party on Saturday declined to re-nominate two incumbent members of the university’s board of trustees to their posts. Among them was Ron Weiser, a former chairman of the state Republican Party and a longtime donor to the party.
At an at times noisy convention that lasted about 12 hours at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, hundreds of Republicans chose Carl Meyers, a former state party treasurer, and Sevag Vartanian, a businessman running in 2022, as the Republican candidates for two seats on the University of Michigan’s governing board on the November ballot.
Meyers and Vartanian received more votes than Weiser, an Ann Arbor businessman who currently holds a seat on the UM board, according to results released by the Michigan Republican Party around 10 p.m. Saturday night.
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Weiser served as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party in the 2022 election cycle, in which Democrats won control of the state legislature for the first time in four decades. Despite being a major Republican donor, he was criticized by grassroots activists within the party and booed at a convention in August 2022.
Like Weiser, GOP delegates chose not to re-nominate Dan Kelly for a position on Michigan State University’s board of trustees. Kelly, an Auburn Hills attorney, is the current chairman of the board of trustees, according to the university’s website. MSU’s board of trustees has faced a number of controversies and infighting in recent years.
Instead of Kelly, Republican delegates nominated Mike Balow, who ran in 2022, and Julie Maday, a former Novi City Council member, for the November election.
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At Saturday’s convention, former Michigan Republican Party Chair Kristina Karamo was escorted out of the arena by police and some in the crowd booed current Chair Pete Hoekstra as infighting within the party leadership continued to divide delegates.
“Congratulations to all of our candidates and newly elected nominees at today’s convention,” Hoekstra said. “The most important takeaway from today is that the Michigan Republican Party is strong, united, and focused on a single goal – turning Michigan red in November.”
Todd Gillman, a Republican delegate from Lenawee County, said he expected the clashes at Saturday’s convention to be even worse.
“Every time they try to stir up trouble, they reach fewer and fewer people,” Gillman said of a faction that supports Karamo, who was ousted as leader in January.
On Saturday, Republican delegates also nominated state Rep. Andrew Fink of Hillsdale and Branch County District Judge Patrick William O’Grady to two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court that will be voted on this fall.
Democrats currently hold a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court.
Fink defeated Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Mark Boonstra for the nomination, who was endorsed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and former Supreme Court nominee Matt DePerno.
In the fall, Fink will face Democratic nominee Kimberly Ann Thomas, a law professor at the University of Michigan. The winner will receive a full eight-year term on the court, but it is still up for grabs because Republican nominee Judge David Viviano is retiring.
O’Grady defeated Romulus attorney Alexandria Taylor, who was endorsed by Karamo. In November, O’Grady will face incumbent Judge Kyra Harris Bolden, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“I really want to call on everyone to come together in one spirit of forgiveness,” Taylor said Saturday as votes were cast at the hockey arena in Flint.
Delegates re-nominated incumbent State Board of Education members Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder. They also nominated incumbent Michael Busuito and Sunny Reddy for seats on the Wayne State University Board of Governors.
