Twenty-six days ago I was elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and I’m writing today with an update of where things were, where they are now, and where I hope to lead us over the next 20 months. 

Since being elected, I have had dozens of meetings both here in Michigan and in Washington D.C. with the White House, the RNC, and the alphabet soup of organizations that work to elect Republicans up and down the ballot. The meetings were fruitful and I can say without a doubt that nationwide, Republicans are hard at work implementing plans to help us win in 2026. 

While I’ve been faced with quite a few hurdles over the last 26 days, I am confident in the team we are building and the plans we are outlining. Just in the last week, I had the privilege of meeting with our very talented and hardworking district chairs and vice chairs, which only reinforced my optimism about our path forward. I look forward to sharing the status of some important things in the coming weeks and months. It is time to right this ship and return the MIGOP to the political machine that it has been in the past. I am going to need help from all of you to make this a reality.

We are surrounded by success. 

We are seeing a presidential administration that is putting families first and working hard to eliminate billions of dollars of waste in our government. Eliminating waste means lower taxes for you. We have a president that is putting America first and Americans first. 

And our Republican leadership here in Michigan is following. House Speaker Matt Hall and the House Republican Caucus are championing meaningful policies to help you keep more money in your pocket. In fact, just this week they passed legislation to permanently reduce Michigan’s income tax from 4.25% to 4.05%. This is a real, tangible change that will help Michigan families. A big thank you to Speaker Hall and the House Republicans. 

In the Democratic controlled Michigan Senate, on the other hand, the Senate Democrats are doubling down on failed woke DEI policies. On Tuesday, Senate Dems passed a resolution in support of policies that promote DEI. This is the same failed leadership we’ve seen over the last three years and it is time for change. We need to return common sense leadership to that chamber by electing a Republican majority! That is a top priority in 2026.

I look forward to leading this Grand Old Party in the coming months. Michigan is ground zero for 2026. Our work starts right now. This means working together. This means opening lines of communication between the MIGOP and the donors, volunteers and delegates that make our party a success. This means knocking on thousands of doors and providing candidates with the support they need to WIN. 

Please check out our new website at mi.gop. It is a work in progress, but soon it will be equipped with election resources, training materials, and much more. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at [email protected]. For scheduling requests for myself or MIGOP Co-Chair Bernadette Smith, please contact [email protected].

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State Senator Jim Runestad, MIGOP Chair