The Hillsdale County Republican Party’s two factions are planning to hold separate county conventions on Jan. 26.
“It ultimately just hurts our Republican Party,” said Jon Smith, the HCRP’s original “America First” secretary. “People that don’t understand what’s going on, they just think, ‘Oh, it’s two Republicans fighting again.’”
County Commissioner Brent Leininger has led a newer group since August, suing the HCRP’s “America First” officers for party control since they barred members from August’s county convention.
Neither group has backed down. According to Smith, the “America First” faction will hold its convention at Sozo Church. Penny Swan, a former officer in Leininger’s group, said the group will hold its convention at the Hillsdale Senior Center.
According to a letter from Leininger, the upcoming county convention will nominate delegates for the Michigan Republican Party’s Feb. 18 convention, which will determine the state party’s leadership. Smith said the state party will have to decide which county delegates will attend its convention.
The Michigan GOP recently changed its stance on the issue, as the party had previously recognized the “America First” faction, but Chairman Ron Weiser recognized Leininger’s group in a Dec. 28 letter.
“The Michigan Republican Party acknowledges Brent Leininger and his executive committee as the newly-elected leadership of the Hillsdale Republican Party,” Weiser wrote.
Leininger said he is grateful the state party ruled in favor of his group. He said his leadership needed to take control, as he thinks the HCRP’s original “America First” leadership had been usurping power.
“The integrity of our elections demanded that we not be silent and passive,” Leininger said. “I am grateful the state party has come to the same conclusion.”
Leininger’s leadership consists mostly of local officials, according to Swan. After November’s elections, Leininger’s officers include County Clerk Marney Kast, Deputy County Clerk Abe Dane, Prosecutor Neal Brady, former Michigan GOP Chair Susy Avery, and former County Treasurer Gary Leininger.
After the most recent elections, Smith said, leaders of the “America First” group include Mayor Adam Stockford, Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship alumnus Jacob Bruns ’22, David Mosby, Danielle Mentz, Dan Rutan, and Chris Wingate.
Smith expects the Michigan GOP will support his group after new leadership wins elections at the February state convention, he said.
“They don’t realize the delegate body across the state supports us,” Smith said. “It’s about this local Hillsdale ‘Boss Hogg’ control. But this is actually a much bigger story.”
The split, and where it led
The conflict started when the HCRP’s “America First” executive committee officers barred more than 61 local delegates from the August county convention, disavowing them as “Trochky [sic] International Socialists.”
“The good people of Hillsdale County elected precinct delegates in the August primary, who were then denied access to their own county convention by the illegal actions of the former party leadership,” Leininger said. “The then-established party tried to deny duly elected delegates their right to represent their constituents.”
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” executive committee officers refused to yield control.
“The little man’s telling me, ‘Don’t give up,’” Smith said. “What am I supposed to do, just give up?”
Weiser sent a ruling on Aug. 27 against Leininger’s group, recognizing the party’s original leadership. Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock said in an email the letter was “valid and authentic.”
Leininger’s group sued the party’s original leadership on Oct. 12 to gain control of the party, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney Jonathan Lauderbach.
Plaintiffs took issue with the HCRP’s “America First” July 28 executive committee meeting, where officers voted to disavow party members before the August convention.
Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Michael Olsaver granted an injunction against the HCRP’s original leadership on Nov. 15, writing this “America First” faction “illegitimately” removed other committee members in their July 28 meeting.
