LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Warren Carpenter, former Chair of the Michigan GOP’s 9th Congressional District, has told Bridge Michigan that there is a push to boot MIGOP Chair Kristina Karamo out of her leadership role in what might result in a pre-Christmas showdown. Carpenter claims there are enough votes to remove her and says, “We’re trying to have this wrapped up prior to Christmas.”

With an important upcoming election year pending, Carpenter says, “She has to go if we have any chance of salvaging the party for 2024.”

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Currently, Michigan is controlled by the Democrats in the senate as well as the governor’s office. The Michigan House is in a 54-54 deadlock due to mayoral wins by two Democratic lawmakers which left vacant seats until they have their special elections in April. All 110 Michigan representative spots will be voted on in November of 2024 as will the 13 U.S. House of Representatives for Michigan, one from each of the state’s congressional districts.

Additionally, there is an open senate seat with Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow retiring. Michigan is also an important part of the presidential election with their primary voting date set for February 27th. However, many think that Karamo hasn’t been leading the MIGOP in the right direction. Only nine months into her term, Karamo hasn’t been getting high marks from many in the party due to fundraising struggles, financial debt, controversial statements she’s made and other controversies going on within the party.

Karamo opponents who want to boot her from party leadership have circulated a petition calling for a state committee vote on whether to remove her and have also proposed party bylaw changes to make the process easier, including lowering the threshold to vote a chair out of office. Any proposals that might go to the state committee at their December meeting would need support by two-thirds of the members to make changes to the bylaws before voting Karamo out of her position. “We’ve got the votes,” says Carpenter, who is leading the effort to remove her.

The Detroit News first reported on the petition back at the end of October which had been circulated by state committee member, Daniel Lawless. In an email obtained by the Associated Press, he told other state committee members, “I regret to say that after much thought and reflection, I have become convinced that Kristina Karamo cannot lead us in this effort and it is upon us, the State Committee, to replace her and move our party forward.”

Bree Moeggenberg, a state committee member from Mount Pleasant who had voted for Karamo in the past to be the Chair, told Bridge Michigan, “Her leadership has failed…I believe that she has caused division in the party – not just to the establishment, whom she cares not to have money from – but also from all factions of the grassroots. Unless you fully agree with her, she will not collaborate, and she will not communicate.”

The entire party seems to be lacking communications with the outside world – with media requests rarely being returned and their contact page on their website listing their phone number as “in transition.”

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One replacement candidate for Kamaro that has been suggested is former west Michigan U.S. Rep. and former ambassador Pete Hoekstra. When talking about running for the position, last year, Hoekstra had said, “You have to instill confidence in the donor class that if you give money to the Republican Party, it is going to be well spent, and we are going to elect quality candidates.” Hoekstra, however, has made no public comments about wanting to be at the head of the MIGOP if Karamo should be removed and had no comment to make about the situation when Michigan News Source reached out to him over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Karamo was elected by precinct delegates across the state in February to be the new chairperson, beating others including Trump-supported failed Attorney General candidate, Matt DePerno. Karamo had promised to expand the party’s donor pool with small business owners and grassroot Republicans but that does not appear to be coming to pass. In mid-August, it was reported that the MI GOP only had $35K left in their bank accounts and they had to take out a $110K loan to pay for a speaker at their September’s Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference which irked many in the party leadership. More recently, the media has been reporting on an “imminent default” on their line of credit according to state committee member Jessica Barefield, a Republican who resigned from the MI GOP’s internal budget committee recently.

In her resignation letter, Barefeild said, “I am reaching out to you today amidst a crisis within our party that demands immediate attention and action. The recent upheaval within our Budget Committee, marked by the resignations of Dane Couture and Jessica, is a critical issue that cannot be ignored. These resignations are a clear indication of deeper problems within our operations and leadership.”

Barefield went on to say, “Remember, Matt Johnson had warned us about our precarious fiscal situation as early as June, but his warnings went unheeded. Now, we are witnessing the consequences of our inaction. Furthermore, the lack of response from the Karamo administration to these resignations and the silence on the allegations regarding our building situation is deeply concerning. It reflects a lack of accountability and transparency that is unacceptable in our leadership…As dedicated members of the Republican Party, it is our duty to ensure that our State Committee and party leadership fulfill the responsibilities they were elected to perform.”

Karamo, for her part, says she inherited about $500K in debt from former Chair Ron Weiser and as for those working to oust her, she said on the “West Michigan Live” podcast with Justin Barclay recently that she is being attacked from the “old guard” that had used the MIGOP as an “influence peddling operation” where “lots of money was accumulated to simply bribe and control politicians.” She said, “When you decide to take these people on, they have billions of dollars at their disposal, and they are going to leverage war on you…But guess what? When you have God on your side, you will prevail as long as you conduct yourself in a righteous manner.”

Money problems, however, haven’t stopped Karamo from making a good living. Even amongst financial turmoil, it appears that Karamo is receiving a lucrative salary. The Detroit Free Press reports that she makes about $2,500 a week or $130K a year, which is about the same as her predecessors were paid and is in line with the salary of Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes.

Karamo does have her supporters in the party including Debra Ell, who sits on the executive committee of the Saginaw County Republican Party. Ell says if big money donors “truly cared about the Republican Party that they profess to love and defend” they would “work with” Karamo. Ell continues, “They pull all their money out and leave her with nothing, hoping she’ll shrivel up and die. And now these factions are claiming, ‘She doesn’t have any money.’ Well, she’s trying.”

Others have support for Karamo personally but not how she’s doing business. Jon Smith, a former district chair of the Michigan GOP who stepped down last month, told CBS News, “I love Kristina as an individual, as a person. I think she’s an amazing, amazing woman when you talk to her one-on-one about stuff. But her administration and the way she’s operating has been an absolute disappointment.”

Whether Karamo gets the boot from party leadership or not is up in the air. Longtime Michigan Republican strategist Dennis Lennox says that state party rules allow her to delay a removal vote by directing supporters to boycott the vote which could result in not achieving the quorum needed for a meeting. If Karamo is removed, it would mean a temporary appointment of co-chair Melinda Pego until the state committee was to select a new chair at their next meeting.

Lennox says about current situation in the MIGOP, “The reality of the matter is there are no sane people left in charge of the Michigan Republican Party, so when one party calls the other crazy, I’m not sure what to make of it.”

Michigan News Source reached out to Karamo about the possible upcoming vote to remove her as Chair, but she did not return our request for comment.