Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig to launch write-in campaign for Michigan governor
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, whose nominating petition for governor was rejected by state officials because of too many fraudulent signatures, announced Thursday he will launch a write-in campaign for the Republican nomination.
"I'm going to run as a write-in," Craig said Thursday night on "Let it Rip" on Fox 2 Detroit. "I'm going to be the next governor."
Craig, who retired after eight years as chief in Detroit in June 2021, said he made the decision based on many appeals he has received from his supporters, telling him not to abandon his campaign.
"I'm not going to roll over," Craig said. "This is not about me as a candidate, this is about the voters of Michigan." Borrowing a line from former President Donald Trump, he added: "We want to clean out the swamp."
Once the acknowledged front-runner of a crowded Republican field for the Aug. 2 primary, Craig's campaign suffered several missteps, including a lack of availability to news media, spending more money than it was taking in, and changes in top campaign staffing.
In a May 23 report, the Michigan Bureau of Elections said Craig's nominating petition contained thousands of forged signatures, including signatures of voters who had died and ones who no longer lived at the addresses listed. Of the 21,205 signatures Craig submitted, only 10,192 appear to be valid, according to the report. State law requires 15,000 valid signatures.
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The Michigan Board of State Canvassers later left Craig off the ballot by deadlocking 2-2 and Michigan courts upheld his disqualification.
Political experts say mounting a statewide write-in campaign is far more challenging than organizing a successful nominating petition drive.
Also left off the ballot over fraudulent signatures and other petition problems were Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson, Michigan State Police Capt. Mike Brown, Byron Center businesswoman Donna Brandenburg, and Grand Haven financial adviser Michael Markey.
Still on the ballot are Norton Shores businesswoman Tudor Dixon, Oakland County businessman Kevin Rinke, Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano, Farmington Hills Pastor Ralph Rebandt, and Ottawa County real estate salesman Ryan Kelley, who on Thursday was arrested and charged with four federal misdemeanor counts related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Johnson, a self-described "quality guru" who appeared with Craig on "Let it Rip" Thursday, is continuing a last-ditch effort in federal court to make the ballot. He said on the program that running as a write-in for governor would be "very difficult" and his campaign estimates that such an effort would cost $22 million.
Though Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan launched a successful write-in primary campaign to get on the mayoral ballot in 2013, launching a statewide write-in campaign would be much more challenging, Johnson said.
Rodericka Applewhaite, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Democratic Party, said Craig's write-in bid is "further proof that the irresponsible and lawless Republican primary field will remain chaotic and unsettled until the bitter end.”
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Chief James Craig to launch write-in bid for Michigan governor
