By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)
Sources tell West Michigan Politics that a straw poll that planned by The Detroit News during this weekend's Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference was canceled after Michigan Republican Party Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel intervened.
Romney apparently learned about the paper's plans to conduct the 2018 Gubernatorial straw poll after a representative from Attorney General Bill Schuette called to convey his annoyance with the poll three years ahead of the election. The paper will still conduct a 2016 Presidential poll as well as polls on possible ballot questions.
Romney subsequently called the Detroit News and made it clear she would prefer they not conduct the poll. Romney had the power to revoke the paper's press credentials, though she did not appear to have to bring that up.
Sources close to the situation tell WMP that Lt. Gov. Calley's team had no problem with a straw poll, not surprising as the L.G. has done well in past Mackinac polls. It's not clear if representatives from Rep. Candice Miller also reached out to Romney, or why the paper decided to ax an event it had planned solely because a political party chair requested it. I know a couple ex legislators who wish they knew how to flip switches at the Detroit News...
Of note: MIRS is co-sponsoring the poll.
While the Gubernatorial primary is 35 months away, Schuette-as well as Calley and Miller-are already making moves to run, especially the Attorney General.
Stay tuned...
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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com
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| Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson |
Schuette's miffed because it is three years too early?
ReplyDeleteTry the fact that he, along with Lil' guv Calley, would be stomped on like a narc at a biker rally when everything is said and done in the '18 General by Hackel.
I wouldn't waste any bandwidth promoting the Queen of Pork Candy Miller running in '18. She only runs in safe races. If there is even the slightest chance that she will lose, she won't run.