Election

3 prominent Michigan Republicans reject their party's election fantasies

November 11, 2020, 1:00 PM by  Alan Stamm

Four days have dawned since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris crossed the victory line, yet the president and other dead-enders persist with last-stand denials.

Michiganians on that side of reality include Ronna McDaniel of Northville, chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), and U.S. Senate race loser John James of Farmington Hills, who this week launched a joint legal fund with the RNC for election challenges. In Lansing, two Republican-led committees last weekend subpoenaed absentee ballot applications, voter registration encouragement letters and other election documents from the secretary of state's office.  


Mike Rogers (top), Rep. Paul Mitchell (left) and Rep. Fred Upton (Photos: Facebook)

By contrast, two Republican congressmen and a seven-term former U.S. House member separate themselves from the partisan sideshows. The three high-profile Michiganians are:

  • Rep. Fred Upton of Kalamazoo, re-elected to his 18th term

  • Rep. Paul Mitchell of Dryden Township (near Saginaw), who didn't seek a third term 

  • Ex-Rep. Mike Rogers of Howell, who served seven terms (2001-15)

"Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of democracy," Mitchell tweets. "Their legitimacy and integrity must be maintained."

Rogers, a former House Intelligence Committee chair, worries about security risks from the Trump team's lack of transition support. "We're all Americans and share the same values of democracy, free speech and freedom," he posts on social media. "More unites us than divides us." 

Outgoing Rep. Justin Amash of West Michigan, who switched from Republican to Indpendent last year, also distances himself from election fraud conspiracists in the party he quit over what he called its "partisan death spiral." 

After Mike Pompeo on Tuesday spoke of "a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Amash tweeted: "This is a deeply irresponsible statement from a secretary of state."

Here are country-over-party posts by the Republican trio and Amash:

Rep. Fred Upton statement:

The votes have been counted, the American people have spoken, and they chose Joe Biden to serve as our next president. We have to find a way to come together, bridge divisions, and focus on solutions that help the millions who are struggling.

I am raising my hand and committing to working with President-elect Biden and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress to do exactly that. As Frederick Douglass said, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."

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