Meshawn Maddock to become co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party
Meshawn Maddock is poised to become co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party on Feb. 6. Maddock, a 2020 state presidential elector, and her husband, State Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford), are both widely known for being outspoken supporters of President Trump and have joined the many other Republicans nationwide in calling for more fair and transparent elections as unfounded allegations of voter fraud continue to swirl and President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris get ready to take office Jan. 20.
The Michigan Republican Party will hold an internal party election on Feb. 6 to select a new chair and cochair for the 2021-2022 term. Chairwoman Laura Cox announced she would not seek a second term. On Tuesday, Meshawn Maddock told MediaNews Group that she’s urging all Trump supporters who are upset with the election to “stand against violence and not allow what happened last week in Washington D.C. to ever happen again.”
“The actions of those who stormed the Capitol were wrong and hurt the President and his legacy,” she said. “Violence is never the answer. We need to focus our efforts on electing Republicans in 2022.”
Ron Weiser, a University of Michigan regent, is expected to be elected chair of the state party. No others are running for these two-year term positions, according to a party spokesperson.
Last week, Meshawn Maddock told a crowd in the nation’s capital — a day before the Jan. 6 riots and breach of the U.S. Capitol — that at least 19 busloads of supporters of President Donald Trump were traveling there from Michigan. Matt Maddock, also spoke and was among GOP state lawmakers who unsuccessfully asked Vice President Mike Pence to delay confirmation of Democrat Joe Biden’s win.
It’s unclear if Matt Maddock joined protesters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but Meshawn Maddock retweeted a video of “March for Trump” marchers and called it “the most incredible crowd and sea of people I’ve ever walked with.”
In a Twitter post on Jan. 7, Meshawn Maddock said the she condemned the violence and breaching of the U.S. Capitol that took place in Washington D.C. the day before.
“The rally was supposed to be a peaceful event and people who broke the law should be held accountable,” she said. “I am horrified by the death of the young woman and pray the healing of our nation.”
On Saturday, Weisner also took to Twitter to denounce the violent protests at the U.S. Capitol saying, “Let me be clear, the events in our nation’s Capitol this week were both incredibly tragic and wrong. People were misled. And that resulted in death and destruction. That is unacceptable and abhorrent. I believe in a Republican Party that shared a belief in our Constitution, where the rile of law prevails over the whims or dictates of a man or mob.”
Over the past few days, some Democratic legislators said Matt Maddock should be censured, while the national
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee called for his resignation or removal from office. Lynn Afendoulis, spokeswoman for Republican House Speakerelect Jason Wentworth, said he “hasn’t seen any action on Rep. Maddock’s part that rises to the level of disciplinary action.”
On Saturday, Jody LaMacchia, chairwoman of the Oakland County Democratic Party, called for the resignation of any elected Michigan officials who took part in the Jan. 6 rioting or pro-Trump rally beforehand.
“But more than just holding each and every person who was present and committed acts of violence, vandalism and sedition accountable, we must also hold elected officials who egg this traitorous behavior on and the donors who funded it - accountable,” she said. “If Michigan GOP Chair and Michigan Regent Ron Weiser paid for Vice-Chair Maddock’s private plane flight and or the buses to DC, then Michiganders have a right to know.”
In December, Matt Maddock was one of 12 Michigan GOP state lawmakers that filed a legal brief in support of a lawsuit brought forth by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that challenged the election results in four battleground states, including
Michigan. The group of state lawmakers argued that the appointment of presidential electors in the four states listed in the suit are “constitutionally invalid” unless the legislature conducts postelection certification.
Days after the suit was filed, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not consider the case for procedural reasons, because Texas lacked standing to bring it.
“Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections,” the court wrote in an unsigned ruling on Dec. 11.
The month before, Matt Maddock cosponsored a resolution aimed at impeaching Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The resolution was “directing the impeachment of Gretchen E. Whitmer, Governor of the state of Michigan, for corrupt conduct in office and crimes and misdemeanors.”
The filing of the resolution came three days after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a threeweek epidemic order that placed restrictions on social gatherings, bars and restaurants, and schools in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19.