Five GOP Candidates For Michigan Governor Are Now Disqualified For Submitting Forged Petition Signatures

The New York Times reports:

Five Republican candidates for Michigan governor were disqualified by a state canvassing board on Thursday for submitting nominating petitions that officials said had contained thousands of forged signatures. The decision sent the race, in a key battleground state, into chaos and dealt a serious blow to the party’s plans to challenge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic incumbent.

The five candidates, half of the party’s field, were denied a spot on the Aug. 2 primary ballot by the Board of State Canvassers, including James Craig, a former Detroit police chief, and Perry Johnson [photo], a wealthy businessman. Both had widely been viewed as favorites before election officials this week rejected thousands of signatures, finding that the names had been forged and were collected by fraudulent petition circulators.

Read the full article. Lawsuits are expected.

Five GOP candidates for Michigan governor were disqualified from the ballot for submitting petitions that officials said contained thousands of forged signatures, sending the party’s effort to challenge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer into chaos. https://t.co/PtTfTs05OJ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 26, 2022