In a battleground state that was the scene of contentious disputes following the 2020 presidential election, a candidate for a top judicial post has withdrawn his election bid to instead work on behalf of the GOP ticket more broadly.
As the Detroit Free Press reports, Matthew DePerno, a lawyer who was seeking a spot on the Michigan Supreme Court, pulled his name from consideration just before the state's Republican Party convention was set to commence.
DePerno's name gained notoriety in recent years, largely due to a lawsuit he filed that included claims of manipulated vote tabulation machinery during the last presidential election.
It was, he argued, in Antrim County that equipment was adjusted in a manner designed to harm Trump's candidacy and benefit that of Joe Biden.
In the wake of that controversy, DePerno challenged Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel in 2022, but lost his bid to unseat the well-known liberal.
As NPR noted at the time, it was in 2023 that DePerno was charged with allegedly attempting to unlawfully gain access to voting machines in 2020 as part of the battle over tabulation equipment.
DePerno faces counts of undue possession of a voting machine, willfully damaging a voting machine, and conspiracy, felonies for which he is currently awaiting trial.
Just before the GOP convention began in Flint over the weekend, DePerno informed the party of his withdrawal decision via email, saying, “I've come to the conclusion that I can best help President Trump win Michigan by making sure that we have the strongest absentee and early vote program anywhere in the country – stronger than the Democrats.”
He continued, “Therefore, I am withdrawing my nomination for Supreme Court and asking fellow delegates to dig deep and think hard about which of the candidates for each of these positions would make the strongest ticket in November.”
DePerno, who, according to campaign finance records, had only raised $100 for his Supreme Court bid, went on to declare his endorsement of Branch County Circuit Judge Patrick O' Grady for a partial, four-year term on the panel, for which he was indeed selected to run.
State Rep. Andrew Fink was also chosen by the delegates to seek an eight-year term on the state's highest court.
Adding a touch of drama to the day was the appearance of embattled former party chair Kristina Karamo, who turned up on the convention floor before being escorted out by law enforcement officers.
Though Karamo said she was simply there to support a candidate and was not disrupting the proceedings, current party chair Pete Hoekstra maintained that unless she accepted the offer of a guests pass to observe things from the gallery, she would be ejected due to her lack of delegate status.
With the Great Lakes State widely acknowledged as one of the critical swing states that could make or break either presidential candidate's chances of winning the White House, the eyes of the country will continue to follow the substantial attention both parties are likely to pay to Michigan voters in the months to come.
