LANSING, Mich. (MIRS News) – A smattering of boos, tepid claps and silence greeted Ron Weiser to the stage at Friday evening’s “Red Wave” party.

The Michigan Republican Party (MRP) chair proceeded to praise the 600-some delegates and GOP activists gathered on the Capitol lawn for the passion they brought to a contentious convention.

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He told them the “fighting is done. Our inner-party problems are now on hold. We are using every bit of our energy to defeat Democrats from here through the election.”

The wealthy business executive, who has donated $4.5 million this cycle to Republican candidates and causes, also said he’s dropping another $1 million into defeating Democrats.

Weiser left the stage to polite applause.

Hours after now-Attorney General nominee Matt DePerno brokered a deal that prevented the MRP summer convention from completely sliding sideways, the “establishment” and the “conservative grassroots” seemed content to bury the hatchet on the Capitol lawn.

The top-of-the-ticket combination of gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, lieutenant governor nominee Shane Hernandez, Secretary of State nominee Kristina Karamo and DePerno were embraced under the Lansing twilight as the team that would “fire” the Democratic incumbents.

“Let’s see those ‘Fire Whitmer signs,'” bellowed Hernandez to the respectable after-convention crowd. “We did our business at convention. We are individuals in the Republican Party. You, as delegates, have the right to have those conversations, have those arguments.

“But we are walking out of that convention united.”

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The morning didn’t start that way.

The convention at which Republicans are legally required to nominate candidates for Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, state Supreme Court justices and eight education/university slots began like no other convention in recent memory.

Weiser attempted to push through the typically perfunctory convention rules at around 10 a.m. at the Lansing Center to a chorus of boos and objections.

A vast majority of the delegates — mostly first-time attendees of the grassroots movement — objected to Weiser and the “establishment” siding with the internal takeovers of the Macomb and Hillsdale county republican parties.

The orchestrated objection drove the convention to a standstill.

If Weiser was intent on pushing through the delegation as presented, delegates made it clear that things were going to get ugly.

Behind the scenes, DePerno, who helped recruit many of the new attendees, worked with grassroots leaders and the MRP leadership. The deal was allowing a vote on accepting the delegates chosen by Chair Mark Forton, changing the delegation of the Hillsdale County Republican Party and allowing for a paper ballot vote for lieutenant governor.

In exchange, there would be no more interruptions or floor fights that would threaten to stretch business well into the night.

Everything took place. Hernandez was confirmed as the lieutenant governor nominee by more than 80% of the vote. The convention took until 5 p.m., but by the time it was over, a surprising number of delegates were still around.

“We have a great bunch of delegates,” DePerno said. “They love their country and they wanted to come to this convention and have a voice. I was very proud of them in terms of voices, their objections to certain rules and making themselves heard.”

The convention featured no speeches outside of DePerno urging the delegates to “kick some ass.”

The traditional speeches were saved for the “Red Wave” Party on the Capitol lawn. Congressional candidates Paul Junge (MI-8), John Gibbs (MI-3) and Martell Bivings (MI-13) spoke in the same block as DePerno and Karamo.

U.S. Rep. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) spoke before Hernandez and Dixon, getting the crowd going on “Tudor Dixon” and “Dixon Hernandez” chants.

Dixon’s speech was done without notes and without a teleprompter. She reminded the delegation of the COVID restrictions Gov. Gretchen Whitmer imposed during the height of the pandemic.

Rising inflation, President Joe Biden forgiving $32 billion in student loans, low staffing levels and crime were other subjects Dixon touched on.

Dixon hit on a pro-business, more-parent-involvement-in-the-schools message. She decried parents allegedly not being told their child is being referred to by different pronouns or a different name in schools.

“I’m thankful for you. I’m thankful for every day we have until Election Day when we are going to take our state back,” Dixon said. “Fight with me, Michigan.”