Republicans packed the Kent County GOP office Thursday night to spread a message of party unity after the primary election.
Candidates for Michigan’s major offices up for grabs in the November general election spoke at the event, including U.S. Senate, governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. There are no incumbents running in any of those races, meaning Democrats and Republicans both see a big chance to win each of the open seats.
Republicans fought a nasty primary battle in the governor’s race, while Democrats duked it out in one of the most expensive Senate primaries in history.
Former Congressman Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee, said Republicans got a head start on the November races knocking over a million doors while Democrats bickered.
“While they were doing all of that, we were going door to door, we were building teams, we were building the biggest ground game that we will have ever seen right here in Michigan,” Rogers told the modest but standing room-only crowd.
Rogers said the Republican strategy doesn’t change now that former public health official Abdul El-Sayed official won the Democratic Senate nomination.
Many outsiders considered the Democratic primary as a struggle between progressive and moderate paths forward for the party. The progressive platform came out on top, with El-Sayed backing policies like Medicare for All.
Now, Republicans are describing the general election as a choice between “common sense” and “crazy.”
No one at the top of the Democratic ticket describes themselves either a “Democratic socialist” or “communist.” El-Sayed, for his part, has said he’s a capitalist.
Still, Republican gubernatorial candidate and Congressman John James (R-MI 10) and others framed the other side as “communist.”
“We don’t have to look overseas because right now, Marxism is in our home. Right now, Marxism is on the march in Michigan,” James said to the crowd.
James won his primary race, in part, by aligning himself closely to President Donald Trump and his policies. The Trump endorsement helped push James to a large victory Tuesday night.
But Michigan is generally known as a swing state and Trump’s approval rating is underwater here, though he remains deeply popular among Republicans.
James said as his party’s nominee for governor, he’ll focus on “saving Michigan.”
“We’re going to be pushing back against socialism, we’ll be talking about the things that people really care about. Increasing affordability in the state of Michigan, increasing public safety in the state of Michigan, and fixing education in the state of Michigan. Those are things that unite all of us and I’m excited to take a message everybody can get behind,” James told reporters after the event.
He’ll be up against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the general election this November. The race is sure to attract a lot of attention and money.
In the Michigan attorney general’s race, Republican Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd will face Democratic Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.
For Secretary of State, Republican Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini will go up against Democratic Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.
The Democratic ticket is hosting a major kickoff party in Detroit Friday night.
