Top Trump ally in Michigan already warns of a stolen election

LANSING, Mich. — Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, told the crowd at a fundraiser Monday that he was concerned Democrats "will steal some votes" in a potentially close U.S. Senate race this fall, according to a recording obtained by The Detroit News.

Hoekstra's comments could shine light on the GOP's approach to the upcoming election and echoed false claims, from some in the party, of widespread voter fraud after Michigan's 2020 presidential race, which GOP nominee Donald Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Multiple election officials described Hoekstra's claim as false Thursday, and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a Democrat, said similar remarks were "unsafe" for election workers and democracy.

Hoekstra, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers and state House Minority Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, appeared at a fundraiser Monday night in Farmington Hills for the Michigan Republican Party. At the event, Hoekstra said Rogers knows how to win close races, mentioning his 2000 victory in a U.S. House election by 111 votes.

"We don't recommend that this cycle," Hoekstra then said, according to the recording. "If it gets that close, we are afraid that they will steal some votes to make sure that he doesn't win."

It wasn't clear what Hoekstra was referring to or what evidence he had that Democrats would "steal some votes."

Rogers, of White Lake Township, is running against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Holly, for the Senate seat.

In a written statement Thursday, Hoekstra referenced Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is Michigan's top election official but isn't directly involved in the tallying of votes. That's done by hundreds of local election administrators in cities, townships and villages across the state.

"The truth of the matter is that Michigan Republicans have a deep distrust of Jocelyn Benson," Hoekstra said in the written statement. "And for good reason — the MIGOP is actively and successfully suing Benson for blatantly ignoring election laws."

On Thursday, Benson said she would welcome Hoekstra "to sit down with any local clerk or our office team so that we can walk through just how secure our elections are."

"I hope every leader in this state recognizes their responsibility to speak the truth in this moment, and everyone seeking to hold public office, which is a great honor, to understand that the will of the people will be recorded through our accurate and secure election system, and that is the will, whether we agree with it or not, that all of us must stand by and support," Benson added. "And I expect every leader in the state to do that this year.”

During a press conference Thursday, Genesee County Clerk Domonique Clemons said some individuals were alleging the election would be stolen even before people knew who would be on the ballot.

Clemons noted that election equipment is tested in public before elections and clerks, poll workers from both parties and challengers help ensure the process has integrity.

"That process here in Michigan is safe. It is secure. And it's efficient," Clemons said. "It's under constant review, constant scrutiny and again, open to the public at every single step."

After the 2020 presidential election, Trump claimed, without providing proof to support his accusations, that Michigan's election was somehow stolen from him.

Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points, 51%-48%. The outcome has been upheld by audits, a series of court rulings, bipartisan boards of canvassers and an investigation by a Republican-controlled state Senate committee.

Byrum, the clerk in Ingham County, said Michigan's election administrators "have ensured that our elections are safe and secure, openly and transparently, for hundreds of years."

"When the going gets tough in a campaign, you work harder and try to change minds or turn out more voters," Byrum said. "You don’t blame the system or the election administrators that enforce the rules.

"Pete Hoekstra’s comments tell me that he believes his candidate cannot win and he is too lazy to put in the work to do anything about it."

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