Advance Notice: Briefs

Michigan Supreme Court denies GOP gov. candidates’ appeals to appear on the August ballot

By: - June 3, 2022 5:13 pm

GOP gubernatorial candidates who have had their court challenges denied (L-R): James Craig, Perry Johnson and Michael Markey | Photos by Allison R. Donahue and Andrew Roth

Three Republican gubernatorial candidates have lost their bid to appear on the August primary ballot, after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of a state Bureau of Elections (BOE) ruling that they should be denied a spot because of thousands of fraudulent petition signatures.

The 6-1 ruling effectively ends the candidacies of businessman Perry Johnson, financial adviser Michael Markey and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

In the majority ruling, which also applies to Markey and Craig, Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, who was nominated by Democrats, said Johnson’s complaint “lacks merit because he cannot show that the Board of State Canvassers had a clear legal duty to certify his name to the ballot.”

The lone dissenting vote came from Democratic-nominated Justice Richard Bernstein, who argued in favor of oral arguments as the case “presents significant legal issues worth further consideration.”

The decision came just an hour before the state Bureau of Elections was set to send a list of certified candidates to county clerks at 5 p.m. Friday. 

Donna Brandenburg and her attorney speak before the Board of State Canvassers, May 26, 2022 | Laina G. Stebbins

Johnson, Craig, Markey and businesswoman Donna Brandenburg had all appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court to overturn lower court rulings that also favored the BOE ruling and place them on the August primary ballot. The court has not ruled on Brandenburg’s appeal.

Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown dropped out of the race rather than appeal.

State elections officials recommended the five candidates be dropped from the ballot after the Bureau of Elections (BOE) released a report last week detailing an “unprecedented” number of fraudulent signatures. That recommendation was then upheld when the Board of State Canvassers (BSC) deadlocked along party lines.

There are five GOP hopefuls on the Aug. 2 ballot: Far-right activist Ryan Kelley,

businessman Kevin Rinke, right-wing media personality Tudor Dixon, chiropractor Garrett Soldano and the Rev. Ralph Rebandt. 

The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Nov. 8.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Jon King
Jon King

Jon King has been a journalist for more than 35 years. He is the Past President of the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors Association and has been recognized for excellence numerous times, most recently in 2021 with the Best Investigative Story by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Cleary University. Jon and his family live in Howell, where he also serves on the Board of Directors for the Livingston Diversity Council.

MORE FROM AUTHOR