LANSING, Michigan — An ally of Donald Trump accused of attempting to illegally access and manipulate voting machines is seeking the Republican nomination for the Supreme Court in Michigan, the epicenter of efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
In June, attorney Matthew DePerno announced his intention to run for the State Supreme Courtalmost a year after he was charged and arraigned.
Delegates will vote on nominees at the Michigan Republican Party convention on Saturday, Aug. 24, for two seats on the state Supreme Court in a state where the battle for the majority continues and the court could have the final say in Michigan. election affairs.
Michigan Supreme Court elections are officially nonpartisan — meaning candidates appear on the ballot without party labels — but candidates are nominated at party conventions. Democratic-backed justices currently hold a 4-3 majority. Republican nominees would need to win both seats to regain majority control, while Democrats could win a 5-2 majority.
DePerno rose to prominence after falsely claiming that the 2020 election was stolen from then-President Trump. unsuccessfully ran for attorney general of Michigan in 2022 and lost a bid to become chairman of the state GOP party in 2023.
DePerno was named as a “key ringleader” in the voting machine tampering case. Five voting machines were illegally taken from three Michigan counties and brought to a hotel room, according to documents released in 2022 by the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Investigators found that the tabulators had been cracked and that “tests” had been performed on the equipment.
He was charged with unlawful possession of a voting machine and conspiracy. A state judge has ruled that it is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to steal a machine without a court order or permission from the secretary of state’s office.
DePerno’s case has not gone to trial, and he denies wrongdoing. He also faces a separate complaint from the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, which is threatening his law license, alleging attorney misconduct when he was a former state legislator.
DePerno said in a telephone interview that both the felony charges and the allegations of attorney misconduct are politically motivated.
Michigan is just one of at least three states Prosecutors say people hacked election systems by embracing and spreading Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
DePerno is running for a partial term currently held by Judge Kyra Harris Boldenwho was appointed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after a Democratic-backed judge announced she would step down at the end of 2022 with six years remaining in her term.
Bolden is seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat she was appointed to in January 2023. She is the first Black woman to serve on the state’s top electoral board and would be the first to be elected in November.
Republican-backed conservative Judge David Viviano announced in March that he would not seek re-election, leaving a new seat vacant.
The Democratic Party will hold its own convention on the same day as the GOP, on August 24.
Campaign finance reports showed a shocking disparity between candidates running for the Democratic and Republican parties and that DePerno was seriously lacking in fundraising.
Bolden, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s endorsement, has raised more than $1.1 million as of Aug. 8, while DePerno has raised just $136 million, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.
DePerno has focused on building support among delegates, not fundraising. He is confident he can raise more funds than Bolden if he is nominated in the general election, citing his own name recognition, he said.
“I don’t think the other candidates in my race can raise money in the general election,” he said.
DePerno’s Republican competitors at the party convention include Detroit attorney Alexandria Taylor and Circuit Court Judge Patrick O’Grady. Both have outspent DePerno by thousands of dollars so far, according to campaign documents.
Court of Appeals Judge Mark Boonstra and Rep. Andrew Fink are vying for the Republican nomination for Viviano’s seat. Boonstra was supported by Trump in May. On the Democratic side, University of Michigan Law School professor Kimberly Ann Thomas is seeking a nomination for the opening.
The Michigan Democratic Party Executive Committee has endorsed Bolden and Thomas, and they have no opponents for the nomination.
Thomas reported raising more than $826,603 in recent campaign filings through Aug. 8, hundreds of thousands more than Fink and Boonstra.
State Supreme Court elections have begun new meaning in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which moved abortion policy to the states. Millions of dollars were spent on hotly contested races in Wisconsin And Pennsylvania in 2023. Supreme Court defeats Ohio And Montana The debate is expected to be heated over possible statements on abortion.
“Michigan is one of two state Supreme Courts that could end up with a conservative majority this cycle, putting abortion access, unions and workers, and our democracy at risk,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement.
Republicans in the state see the race as a fight to end government interference, while Democrats say it is a fight to protect reproductive rights.
“We will continue to respect the laws that apply here in Michigan,” said Tyson Shepard, executive director of the Republican Party. “We are tired of the fear-mongering of the left.”
___
Associated Press editor Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
