LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Facing financial challenges and internal restructuring, the Michigan Republican Party is heading into the 2026 election cycle with a packed agenda focused on rebuilding, rebranding, and regaining ground. However, their to-do list could look more like a survival plan than a winning strategy.
In a recent interview with entrepreneur and co-founder of “Stand Up Michigan” Garrett Soldano, Michigan GOP Chair Jim Runestad, who is also a Michigan Senator, painted a picture of a party struggling to reboot itself after years of financial mismanagement, organizational chaos, and resistance to early voting tactics.
We all want the old ways back, fair elections, Election Day voting.
But first, we have to win. That means overwhelming early voting now so we can fix broken laws later.
No complaints, no excuses. Work. Sacrifice. Victory.@RunWithRunestad @MIGOP @GOP pic.twitter.com/g9436etG2l
— Garrett Soldano (@GrassrootArmy) April 6, 2025
Runestad says he’s the CEO, janitor, and receptionist all in one.
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Runestad told Soldano, “So I’m spending most of my time trying to have an operation, and right now I feel like the CEO who unlocks the door in the morning and takes the trash cans out, and then starts typing his letters and answering the phone and meeting with people coming through the door and running like crazy everyday all day long with nobody there other than a couple of volunteers.”
Runestad says people are wondering why he doesn’t return phone calls or show up at events and he said, “It’s a situation where I’ve been underwater and I come up for breath and then plunge down with endless issues too many to describe…but anyway, I’m just asking for patience as we are working through this trying to, make sure we get this, everything up and running.”
To do that, he says it’s been “seven days a week, every single day, trying to right the ship.”
But the ship doesn’t appear to be fully upright just yet. While Runestad said in the interview that he’s looking at “trying to mobilize the entire voter base, the volunteers, the candidates, everybody to be focused on early (sic) as we possibly can on these races,” the pace has been anything but swift. It took about a month just to update the party’s website after his win, and the party still isn’t sending emails to supporters, voters, and donors. There also hasn’t been a post on their Facebook or X site since March. On top of that, Runestad remains a sitting state senator – a demanding role that also requires much of his time and attention.
Deep in the hole.
In the interview with Soldano, Runestad also admitted the MIGOP was basically in shambles when he stepped in. “I thought we owed about $300,000,” he said, “but it turned out to be more like $770,000 in debt.” And they only have $10,000 cash on hand.
With just 573 days until Michigan’s high-stakes midterm election in November 2026, Democrats – under new chair Curtis Hertel Jr. – are already in overdrive, flooding inboxes with donation appeals and taking frequent shots at President Trump. The stakes couldn’t be higher, with key races on the line, including governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and more, as Michigan News Source previously reported.
The rebuild isn’t just financial – it’s operational. Runestad painted a picture of a near one-man operation, where he’s both opening the doors and steering the strategy, with only a handful of volunteers by his side. His candid interview is unlikely to reassure Republicans already on edge about the high-stakes 2026 races. If the MIGOP can’t shift gears soon, 2026 might resemble a warning sign, not a political comeback.
