Advance Notice: Briefs

Karamo still hasn’t conceded, tells supporters to ‘standby’ for more election fraud conspiracies

By: - November 10, 2022 4:36 pm

Republican nominee for Michigan secretary of state Kristina Karamo campaigns in Lansing on Aug. 27, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

Republican Secretary of State nominee Kristina Karamo continues to push baseless claims about election fraud in the state, telling supporters “there is more to come.”

Karamo has yet to concede from the race after losing Tuesday’s election to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson by 14 points — the largest margin of any top statewide race. 

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party’s nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 21, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

Democrats held onto all three top statewide offices in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer beat GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon and Attorney General Dana Nessel beat Republican Matt DePerno. Both DePerno and Dixon have both conceded.

Karamo rose to prominence in the Michigan GOP by falsely claiming election fraud in the 2020 election that former President Donald Trump lost to President Joe Biden.

Before Tuesday’s election, Karamo lost a suit trying to stop absentee voting in Detroit, even though Michigan’s Constitution allows no-reason absentee voting. A judge tossed the lawsuit, saying she failed to prove her claims of election fraud and chastised her from trying to disenfranchise voters.

On and since Election Day, Karamo has tweeted baseless accusations that Detroit, Ann Arbor, Redford and some Oakland County cities like Novi did not comply with Michigan Election Law. 

She continued to do so in a statement on Thursday, saying her team “received multiple reports of election law violations and other irregularities throughout multiple counties.”

Karamo accused an Ann Arbor clerk of “engaging in mass election crimes” for allowing same-day registration and voting after 8 p.m.

Since Proposal 2 was passed in 2018, same-day registration and voting is allowed past 8 p.m. as long as voters remain in line. 

Karamo ended her Thursday statement telling supporters to “standby” and that “there’s much to come.” 

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Allison R. Donahue
Allison R. Donahue

Allison R. Donahue is a former Michigan Advance reporter who covered education, women's issues and LGBTQ issues. Previously, she was a suburbs reporter at the St. Cloud Times in St. Cloud, Minn., covering local education and government. As a graduate of Grand Valley State University, she has previous experience as a freelance researcher for USA Today and an intern with WOOD TV-8. When she is away from her desk, she spends her time going to concerts, comedy shows or getting lost on hikes in different places around the world.

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