Candidate for RNC expelled from caucus

LANSING –As the Michigan Republican Party's state committee plans to meet in northern Michigan on May 9 to select the party's next national committeewoman, one of the three declared candidates, Rep. Cindy Gamrat, confirmed she was expelled Thursday from the House Republican caucus.

Gamrat said in a posting on Facebook that House Speaker Kevin Cotter accused her of breaching the confidentiality of caucus discussions in a posting she made about budget legislation, an accusation she denies.

"In no way did I reveal anything confidential from the meeting, and I have never violated the integrity of our caucus," Gamrat said on Facebook.

"I appreciate your prayers and support as I continue to stand as a strong voice for personal liberties, Constitutional rights, and fiscal responsibility, even if I must stand alone."

A spokesman for Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, would neither confirm nor deny that Gamrat was expelled. "What happens in caucus stays in caucus," said Gideon D'Assandro when asked if Gamrat is still a member of the caucus. But a Gamrat aide confimed her expulsion in a text message to the Free Press and Gamrat later followed up with the posting on Facebook.

The Facebook post that Gamrat said got her in trouble says: "Listening to subcommittees reviewing their budgets. How do we get to free market solutions when our starting point is Medicaid and more and more government programs being funded, from daycares to dental programs to planned parenthood."

The state committee -- which has 113 members mostly elected at the congressional district level -- is selecting a replacement for Ronna Romney McDaniel as one of two Michigan representatives on the Republican National Committee. McDaniel was elected party chairwoman at a state convention in February.

Three women have declared their candidacies for the unpaid post. The latest to join the race is Gamrat of Plainwell in Allegan County.

"I'm uniquely suited," partly because of youth and enthusiasm, Gamrat, 41 told the Free Press Thursday a few hours before news broke about the caucus controversy, first reported by the blog West Michigan Politics. Gamrat also cited her grassroots ties as a tea party activist as a reason she should be named to the RNC.

If elected to the RNC, Gamrat plans to serve simultaneously as a state representative and member of the party's national committee, as other Michigan lawmakers have done previously.

Candidates who announced earlier are Kathy Berden of Snover in Sanilac County, and Mary Whiteford of South Haven in Allegan.

Berden, 61, of Snover is a state committee member and former chairwoman of the Sanilac County Republican Party who was a Michigan delegate to the 2012 Republican convention in Tampa.

Whiteford, 50, of South Haven is a state committee member who is vice chair of the Allegan County Republican Party. In 2014, she lost the GOP nomination in the 80th House District to Gamrat.

Deb O'Hagan of Oakland County had also announced a run, but later dropped out.

There is no filing requirement for candidates as nominations are taken from the floor at the state committee meeting. So it's possible other candidates could still run.

Party spokeswoman Diana Bates said the state committee will meet at Boyne Mountain Resort near Boyne Falls in Chalevoix County, where the party will be holding its spring training conference.

The winner will join former state Rep. Dave Agema on the Republican National Committee. Agema has resisted calls from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, former state party chairman Bobby Schostak and others to resign over racist and anti-gay messages he has posted on social media.

Neither Berden nor Whiteford joined calls for Agema to resign. Both said they would work with him if elected.

Gamrat said she's a friend of Agema's and ready to work with him. "He's done a lot of good things for the party," she said. "He's a fighter pilot, so he's going to say things different than I would say them."

On Tuesday, McDaniel named Steve Ostrow of Okemos as the party's executive director, replacing Kim Jorns.

Ostrow served as political director in 2012 and managed the Michigan Freedom Fund's digital efforts in 2014. He formerly worked for the state Senate's majority communications office.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.