Court affirms removal of Kristina Karamo as Michigan GOP chair

By Kyle Blaine, CNN

(CNN) — A Michigan court has affirmed the removal of Kristina Karamo as the state’s Republican Party chair, in a move that could settle a bitter leadership dispute just days before the party’s convention this weekend.

In a preliminary injunction issued Tuesday, Kent County Circuit Court Judge J. Joseph Rossi said Karamo was properly removed from her position on January 6, when Michigan’s GOP state committee voted to oust her, and that any actions she has taken since then on behalf of the party were “void and have no effect.” Tuesday’s ruling, a copy of which was published by NBC News, also prevents Karamo from representing herself as chair of the Michigan Republican State Committee or conducting business on behalf of the party.

CNN has reached out to Karamo for comment.

Tuesday’s development was a victory for Pete Hoekstra, a former ambassador and congressman who has been recognized by the Republican National Committee and former President Donald Trump as the rightful chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

“The MIGOP State Committee, the RNC, President Trump and now a court of law have all reviewed the January 6th meeting and there is unanimous agreement that the former Chair was properly removed, and I was elected as the new Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. It is time to unite and move forward with the business delivering the state of Michigan for our Party’s presumptive nominee, Donald J. Trump,” Hoekstra said in a statement.

Trump won Michigan’s GOP primary on Tuesday, CNN projected – the first of the two contests this week that will award the state’s 2024 presidential delegates. The state party is set to hold its convention on Saturday, when it will allocate additional delegates for the Republican National Convention. Karamo had planned a rival convention, potentially complicating the process.

CNN previously reported that under Karamo’s leadership, the Michigan GOP suffered from internal strife and lackluster finances. A CNN investigation published in late 2023 found the party’s financial problems had become so bad that internal records revealed the state party had a net income of just $71,000 over a nine-month period that ended with it $600,000 in debt.

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