Then Republican nominee for Michigan attorney general Matt DePerno campaigns in Lansing on Aug. 27, 2022. | Allison R. Donahue
Second bites at the apple are sometimes scarce for political candidates who lost by wide margins to their opponents in a previous election cycle, but that hasn’t deterred attorney Matt DePerno from filing paperwork to run again for the position of Michigan attorney general in 2026.
DePerno, who is currently facing felony charges for the alleged mishandling of local voting equipment following the 2020 election, ran for attorney general in 2022 and emerged as the Michigan Republican Party’s nominee following a tense convention battle.
The attorney went on to lose that contest against incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel by nearly 10 percentage points in the November 2022 general election.
Campaign finance paperwork filed Wednesday shows DePerno is again seeking the position, but will have to get through the party’s delegates in order to secure that nomination. The respective political parties endorse and then formally nominate their candidates for the position of attorney general and secretary of state in the spring and fall of election years, and those candidates do not have to endure the public primary process.
They do, however, have to endure tough convention floor fights, the kind that DePerno was able to capitalize on when he bested former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard and former state Rep. Ryan Berman in the leadup to the 2022 race.
DePerno tried again to insert himself into a leadership position with the party when he ran to be the chairman of the MIGOP, but the party’s delegates chose former secretary of state nominee Kristina Karamo – who was later ousted by a rogue faction of the party that later installed former chair Pete Hoekstra.
It’s unclear how the party’s delegates under the leadership of chairman and state Sen. Jim Runestad (R-Whitelake) will view DePerno’s candidacy and chances this time around.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, among those seeking the Democratic nomination for state attorney general, released a statement following word of DePerno’s entry.
“Voters already know all about Matt DePerno, from his attempts to improperly undermine the 2020 election to his opposition to contraception and reproductive rights to his endorsement from Donald Trump. Michiganders want someone who will put Michigan ahead of party politics and Donald Trump. I’m proud to be running to protect our freedoms, uphold the law and keep our communities safe, not to rehash old conspiracy theories about past elections.”
Also in the hunt for the Democratic Party nomination are Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten of the Western District of Michigan.
On the Republican side, Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd is seeking the GOP nomination along with defense attorney Kevin Kijewski, best known for his representation of Clifford Frost, one of the 15 defendants charged by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office with submitting false electoral votes in 2020 for President Donald Trump.
A request for comment to DePerno has yet to be answered.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Comments