Schuette, Calley, And Agema Lead In 2018 GOP Gubernatorial Poll

By Brandon Hall
(Email Him At WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

A new poll of delegates headed to the Michigan Republican Party convention February 10 and 11 has been released, with delegates being asked who they prefer as the Republican nominee for Governor in 2018.

The poll was conducted by Icaucus and included over 500 delegates.

Attorney General Bill Schuette, Lt. Governor Brian Calley, and former RNC Committeeman Dave Agema, also a former State Representative, lead the pack.

According to MIRS:

"An iCaucus survey of 507 Republican Party activists at least considering going to their county party conventions on Thursday, found that a 26.59 percent plurality of respondents prefer Attorney General Bill SCHUETTE as the party's next gubernatorial nominee.

As far as who they preferred to emerge as Snyder's replacement, Lt. Gov. Brian CALLEYcame out with the second-highest percent at 11.83 percent, former Republican National Committeeman Dave AGEMA third at 8.88 percent.

 Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice MILLER 8.28 percent, Sen. Patrick COLBECK 7.89 percent, Secretary of State Ruth JOHNSON 4.54 percent, former House Speaker Jase BOLGER 1.58 percent and Dr. Jim HINES, the only candidate formally in the race, 1.18 percent. 

Of those asked, 3.35 percent said none of the eight listed candidates have their support and 26.04 percent said they are either undecided or uncommitted."
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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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Maddock: Conservatives Will Prevail After Contentious Oakland 11th CD Convention Results Challenged

Maddock, center, with Eric Trump, left, and wife Meshawn, right

By Brandon Hall
(Email Him At WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

After a contentious convention last week in Oakland County's 11th Congressional District, Matt Maddock, a key leader of the Michigan Conservative Coalition, says he is confident conservative state delegates and alternates will prevail after establishment allies of Oakland County GOP Chair Theresa Mungioli challenged the results, appealing to the Michigan Republican Party to overturn the convention despite the fact dozens mounted a walk out after it was clear they didn't have the votes to win... A decision will be announced later in the week...

"They ASSUMED that we were going to vote at-large. We had the majority. They walked out and left us with the quorum. They forfeited their right to participate by leaving the room. The district caucus voted to break into the apportioned sub caucuses as defined in the call to convention. The sub caucuses properly elected their delegates and alternates," Maddock tells WMP.

"When they realized they made a huge mistake by leaving the process, they started piling back into the caucuses but by that time, half the caucuses had already finished voting and had adjourned," Maddock continued. "They were successful in getting voted on in the remaining open caucuses. They messed up. Big time. They should have never left the caucus. They faked themselves out! We did noting improper. The caucus holding the quorum did what it wanted. They were in a minority and chose to not participate. It's that simple. If state party rules against what was done properly, they will expose themselves for what they decide to be."

Maddock says the establishment delegates who walked out consistently make excuses for poor legislation in Lansing.

"The delegates and politicians who walked out and forfeited their right to participate in the political process were the delegates who constantly defend and enable the elected officials who voted for all these non-Republican policies:

Medicaid expansion. Obamacare. Helped democrats nationalize Michigan healthcare.
195 Million Detroit bailout
DIA bailout
Minimum wage increase
Illegal Income tax increase 3.9 to 4.1
Senior pension tax
Internet sales tax
Countless Billions in secret Corporate welfare
Gave Mike Illitch 283 million stadium
134 million Senate office building
Mandatory license plate replacement
Doubled vehicle registration fees
Doubled recreation fees and licenses
Loss of the right to farm act
Detroit light rail boondoggle
The Federalization of local schools via common core
Detroit pension bailout
Cost of energy increases
Likely Energy monopoly
Voting on bills without reading them
Over 10 BILLION in new taxes since Granholm while Michigan median family income remains stagnant.
Gas tax despite 81% of all voters saying NO!

So, ask yourself, who are the genuine republicans? Those who promote and defend policy that is against our principles or those who do whatever it takes to bring our party back inline with our principles and our platform?"

Conservative activist Shane Trejo says he was stunned by the antics on display.

"During my years of GOP activism, I have witnessed fiasco after fiasco as a result of the incompetency and malevolence of the entrenched party establishment. However, the craven behavior of the #SurrenderCaucus at last week's county convention has to take the cake. It was truly surreal watching this calculated display go down.

The GOP establishment was unable to con enough delegates out of the room to disrupt the meeting. The Maddock-led 11th was able to produce a quorum, which is what is needed under Robert’s Rules of Order to lawfully conduct a meeting. The histrionic theatrics of the establishment had officially failed! The establishment soon realized that they made a very grave error.

In a fitting bit of irony, the entire convention was conducted smoothly from that point on, and the best numbers for conservative and liberty-minded delegates were delivered yet! After the bad actors ejected themselves the room, everything was hunky dory. In a sense, the swamp drained itself in the 11th District last Thursday!

With the surrender caucus removed, principled conservative delegates treated each other with respect, rules were followed, and harmony persisted that was like a breath of fresh air. It didn’t last very long though. After failing to rally enough quitters to sabotage the 11th District sub-caucus convention, members of the surrender caucus returned.

They actually had the nerve to attempt to bully city sub-caucuses in a last-ditch attempt to get themselves elevated to be State Convention delegates.

Unfortunately for the quitters, most of the city sub-caucuses had already adjourned by the time they came crawling back for table scraps."
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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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Hold Lansing Accountable: Calley Backs Subjecting Legislature And Governor's Office To FOIA, Financial Disclosure

Calley (Photo by DarKen Photography) 

By Brandon Hall
(Email Him At WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley says he backs legislation to subject the legislature and Governor's office to the Freedom Of Information Act, making it easier for Michiganders to know what their government is up to and how their taxpayer dollars are being spent.

Senate Majorly Leader Arlan Meekhof refused to pass similar legislation last year, erroneously claiming he wants to "protect constituents." (By withholding information?! What is he hiding?)

Calley also thinks lawmakers  should have to disclose other sources of income and potential conflicts of interest, just like Congressman and Senators in Washington DC are already required to do...Some lawmakers are already apparently taking issue with the proposed reforms...

According to Emily Lawler at MLive:

"A package to apply the state's Freedom of Information Act to the executive branch and extend a similar law to legislators died last year after Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, let it die in his Government Operations Committee.

A 2015 report from the Center for Public Integrity ranked Michigan as the least transparent and accountable state in the nation.

Calley said he was interested in looking at four areas of transparency and accountability in Michigan: conflicts of interest, open meetings, the Freedom of Information Act and disclosure.

On the conflicts of interest, he said, "people should have an understanding of what conflicts might exist, and how that could affect the decisions that people make."

In Michigan, lawmakers are paid $71,865 per year, and they meet in Lansing for three days per week. There is no prohibition on having other jobs or sources of income, which some lawmakers do.

Asked about the need for lawmakers to disclose financial conflicts of interest they might have, Calley said that ought to be reviewed, but "lawmakers are a few steps away from the areas that I would be most concerned about."

He said people who make decisions on state contractors were important to consider.

Rep. Tommy Brann, R-Wyoming, questioned why people didn't trust politicians at the event.

"Why does everybody assume politicians are dishonest?" Brann said. "...I think there's a lot of honest people out there, and politicians."

Calley said that while he's worked with many honest lawmakers, a lack of access to information fed the skepticism people had about them.

"In that vacuum, I think that people tend to assume the worst," Calley said."

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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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