Trump, DePerno join forces ahead of Michigan GOP convention

Lansing — Former President Donald Trump, who hopes to be the Republican nominee for president in 2024, and Matt DePerno, who wants to be the Michigan GOP's next chairman, verbally embraced on Monday ahead of a convention that could test the former president's influence over the party.

On Saturday, Republican delegates from across Michigan will gather in Lansing to select the next chairman of the state GOP. DePerno, last year's unsuccessful nominee for attorney general, is in a crowded race with 10 other candidates for the job, which could bring sway over the coming race for the presidential nomination.

Trump endorsed DePerno on Jan. 20. During a Monday teleconference rally five days before the convention, the former president said he has "complete and total confidence" in DePerno, a lawyer from Kalamazoo.

“Michigan will be a key battleground center for the action," Trump said of the 2024 race. "Victory in Michigan will be the difference in winning the election or not.”

Meanwhile, DePerno introduced Trump by calling him "the greatest president we have ever had" and the "leader of the Republican Party."

"We are going to fix our elections, and we are going to win in 2024," DePerno said during the event.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, beat Trump by about 154,000 votes or about 3 percentage points in Michigan in 2020. The result has been upheld by a series of court rulings, more than 200 audits and an investigation by the state Senate Oversight Committee, which, at the time, was controlled by Republicans.

Democrats won control of the Michigan House and Senate for the first time in 40 years in November.

DePerno's opponents on Saturday include former secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo, political consultant Scott Greenlee, former U.S. House candidate Lena Epstein and Macomb County Republican Party Chairman Mark Forton.

But the race is largely viewed as a battle primarily between Karamo, another Trump ally, and DePerno.

Karamo lost to Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson by 14 points in November. DePerno lost to Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel by 9 points.

Trump and DePerno, who rose to prominence challenging the 2020 election's results, have maintained unproven claims that fraud influenced the outcome. However, Trump seemed to acknowledge, at least for a moment on Monday night, that he lost Michigan in 2020.

“I thought we did really well, and we lost by a whisker," Trump told Michigan Republicans, before adding, "But I have never believed that. And you really have to watch Detroit."

Detroit, a Democratic stronghold and Michigan's largest city, has been a focus of Trump's allegations about the last presidential election even though he did better in 2020 than in 2016.

Trump is expected to face multiple challengers as he pursues the GOP nomination for president next year, including potentially Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump's team appears to be pulling heavily for DePerno in the Michigan chair race. Trump's campaign lawyer, Christina Bobb, is expected to help DePerno on the convention floor Saturday. And former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, another Trump backer, is scheduled to be in Lansing this weekend.

The Michigan Republican Party's current chairman, Ron Weiser, decided not to seek another term.

In August, Nessel's office sought a special prosecutor to consider criminal charges against DePerno and eight others because of an alleged "conspiracy" to gain improper access to voting machines. That special prosecutor, D.J. Hilson, has not announced a decision. DePerno has denied wrongdoing.

cmauger@detroitnews.com