LANSING, Mich. (WXMI) — The disputed head of the Michigan Republican Party now faces a lawsuit filed by the party itself.
The Michigan GOP announced it filed suit against Kristina Karamo and requested a temporary restraining order. It is the latest step in an on-going schism between Karamo and a significant portion of the state party.
Acting Chair Malinda Pego, Michigan GOP Administrative Vice Chair Ali Hossein and party coalitions Vice Chair Hassan Nehme are among plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Friday in Kent County Circuit Court in Grand Rapids.
“Ms. Karamo’s refusal to allow the committee and the Michigan Republican Party to move forward, particularly with an election cycle rapidly approaching, requires swift judicial intervention,” according to the lawsuit.
During a Jan. 6 meeting, precinct delegates voted to oust Karamo from her role as chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Karamo vowed before the meeting to not accept the results.
About 45 people, not including proxies, attended the meeting in Commerce Township where Karamo was voted out as chair. Nearly 89% of those present voted to remove her, Bree Moeggenberg, District 2 state committeewoman, said following the meeting.
A largely pro-Karamo meeting the following weekend voted to keep her leading the party.
Since then, Karamo's camp and the portion of the party led by Pego traded statements claiming the other was in the wrong.
RELATED: Kristina Karamo continues to assert continued role as MI GOP chair
On Jan. 20, the Michigan GOP elected former CongressmanPete Hoekstra as the new chair, a vote also disputed by Karamo.
Karamo, a former community college instructor, rose through Michigan’s Republican ranks by spreading election conspiracies after the 2020 presidential election. She eventually was backed by former President Donald Trump in her run for secretary of state in 2022, losing by 14 percentage points ina result that she still refuses to concede.
