County Commissioner Brent Leininger led his group’s convention at the Hillsdale Senior Center. Thomas McKenna | Collegian

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been corrected and updated. The piece originally said Judge Michael Olsaver granted a Nov. 15 injunction against the HCRP’s “America First” faction barring “the group from conducting political activities while the case is in court.” The injunction barred political activity for defendants — then-leaders of the group — but not the group itself or its current leaders. Olsaver since declined to issue a restraining order against defendants.]

 

Rival factions of the Hillsdale County Republican Party held separate county conventions on Jan. 26, sending their delegates to compete for recognition at the state convention in Lansing on Feb. 17 to 18. The Michigan Republican Party will decide which slate of delegates can cast their votes for state party leadership.

“If we lose in the credentials committee, we’ll still go to the convention,” HCRP “America First” Chair David Mosby Jr. said. “They’ll throw out their delegates.”

The Michigan GOP’s Credentials Committee is responsible for deciding challenges to delegates’ credentials, but its decision can be changed by a two-thirds vote at the state convention.

County Commissioner Brent Leininger, who has led the other faction since August, said he wants the Republican Party to be a broad tent that covers a spectrum of views.

“They love the chaos that’s been created,” Leininger said. “It almost seems as if that was the intended goal from the beginning.”

Around 40 members of the HCRP’s “America First” faction met at Sozo Church at 7 p.m. January 26. They nominated 16 delegates to the state convention, regardless of how the state party’s credentials committee rules. 

Leininger’s faction is suing the “America First” group for party control, and Judge Michael Olsaver of the Lenawee County Circuit Court issued an injunction in November barring the “America First” defendants — the group’s then-leadership — from political activity while the suit is in court.

The group’s delegates will attend the state convention in an effort to gain recognition and represent their group.

“I’m anticipating it’ll end up being contentious,” Mosby said.

“America First” delegates will include Mayor Adam Stockford, County Commissioner Steve Lanius, and the college’s Director of Career Services Ken Koopmans. 

Members also selected new, permanent executive committee officers. According to member Ralph Riley, they appointed Mosby as chair, Stockford as vice chair, Danielle Menz as secretary, Jacob Bruns as treasurer, and Dan Rutan as vice treasurer. Riley said the parliamentarian is retired and will be replaced. 

Around 32 people attended the Leininger faction’s convention at the Hillsdale County Senior Center the same night. Attendees voted to nominate 13 delegates to attend the state convention.

Delegates from Leininger’s faction included City Councilmen Greg Stuchell and Robert Socha, City Planning Commissioner Penny Swan, former state Rep. Steve Vear, and Lauren Fink, wife of Republican state Rep. Andrew Fink. 

Attendees included County Commissioner Douglas Ingles and Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Wiley. 

Toward the end of the convention, Leininger addressed a Facebook comment made by Mosby in early January.

“We’ll be seeking what Macomb did this time around,” Mosby said online.

In August, the Macomb County Republican Party similarly split into two groups. When both factions arrived at the convention, the state party replaced the delegates from the group it had recognized with delegates from the opposing group.

Leininger said there may be a motion at the convention to replace his group’s delegates with the “America First” delegates.

Mosby said if the state party did not recognize his group of delegates, he would bring delegates to the convention to seek the same results.

The conflict started when the HCRP’s “America First” executive committee officers barred more than 61 delegates from the August county convention, disavowing them as “Trochky [sic] International Socialists.” Mosby said they had not been involved in the party.

“The then-established party tried to deny duly elected delegates their right to represent their constituents,” Leininger said.

Leininger led an alternate convention at the same time for those the party leadership had barred from the convention. The state party accepted delegates from the alternate convention on Aug. 19.

Leininger and his group met in an Aug. 25 meeting, where he and other local officials say they were voted in as the party’s new leadership. The party’s “America First” officers refused to yield control. 

Weiser sent a ruling on Aug. 27 against Leininger’s group, recognizing the party’s original “America First” leadership. Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock verified the letter in an email.

Leininger’s group sued the party’s original leadership on Oct. 12 for party control, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney Jonathan Lauderbach.

Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Michael Olsaver granted an injunction against the HCRP’s original leadership on Nov. 15, ordering defendants to refrain from conducting political activities while the case is in court. The “America First” group held their county convention on Nov. 17.

Michigan GOP Chairman Ron Weiser changed the party’s stance, recognizing Leininger’s group in a Dec. 28 letter. Mosby, however, said new state party leaders will likely support the “America First” group after the February convention. 

Olsaver declined to issue a restraining order against defendants on Feb. 2, writing that the court would not “deprive MIGOP [sic] the opportunity to address the dispute.”

Thomas McKenna co-authored this article.