After what can only be described as a disastrous 2022 election cycle for the Michigan GOP, which lost both the state House, Senate and all three races at the top of the ticket, the outlook for 2024 looked gloomy; the GOP donor class demonstrated that it was not interested in funding the current state-run regime.
He was not impressed with the selection of candidates during the last election cycle.
Rick Snyder ran Michigan in the pre-Trump years. He is the antithesis of a MAGA Republican and has made his displeasure clear. Now Snyder, along with businessman and philanthropist William Parfet, has emerged as a fundraiser for state House Republicans in an effort to return the House to GOP control.
“You look at the laws that have been passed in the first part of this year,” Snyder said.
He singles out the repeal of Right to Work, as well as the repeal of letter grades in schools so that parents can judge performance as a major step backwards.
Snyder has been on a speaking tour telling anyone who will listen that repealing right-to-work clouds Michigan’s economic future. During his tenure, Snyder was often criticized by his own party for not being conservative enough for them.
Now he’s seen as the only one who can give the House GOP a chance in 2024.
While the entire Republican caucus in the House is not made up of MAGA Republicans, there is a substantial element; how then can he raise money for them?
“I’ve had good conversations with Representative Hall and several members of the caucus, and I think they’re really focused on setting a positive tone and a future for Michigan,” Snyder said.
His return to the arena to help State House came with a caveat.
“I told people we had to stay out of everything else,” Snyder said. “Stay out of the presidential election because this is a very divisive situation. Stay out of all the operational and organizational stuff of the party. It’s a simple task.”
In other words, don’t get bogged down in inter-GOP battles and focus on recruiting candidates. Democrats currently hold 56 of the House seats, Republicans 54.
Copyright 2023 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All Rights Reserved.
