Michigan GOP wants Trump to be only Republican candidate on presidential primary ballot

Kathleen Gray | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump looks to win over black voters ahead of 2020 President Donald Trump looked to win over African-American voters Friday as he launched a new "Black Voices for Trump" outreach initiative in Atlanta. Trump told the crowd Democrats have 'sabotaged you for far too long.' (Nov. 8)

If the Michigan Republican Party had its way, Donald Trump would be the only GOP candidate appearing on the presidential primary election ballot on March 10.

But the list they submitted to the state Tuesday, which contained only Trump's name as the lone viable presidential candidate in 2020, is only wishful thinking at the moment.

The move comes after Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson released her list of presidential primary candidates last week that also included Republicans Mark Sanford, the former governor and congressman from South Carolina; Bill Weld, former governor of Massachusetts, and former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois. Sanford dropped out of the race on Tuesday.

The Republicans want Benson to adopt their list of one because they feel that Trump is the only "legitimate candidate" in the GOP field at the moment. But under state law, the candidates named by the Secretary of State and the two political parties automatically appear on the primary ballot.

"If other candidates want to get on the ballot, they should do a show of strength and get their nominating petitions," said Tony Zammit, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party. "We're recommending that (Benson) approve only Trump for the Republican ballot."

If Benson heeded the GOP recommendation, the list would pave the way for an uncontested Republican primary while Democrats could have a primary that includes up to 18 candidates. But the candidates who appear on the Secretary of State's list and the political party's list automatically qualify for the presidential primary ballot unless any of the candidates withdraw.

But any potential candidate left off the Republican, Democratic or Secretary of State lists can get back on the ballot by filing petitions with the state. Those forgotten candidates could gain access to the presidential primary ballot by gathering a minimum of 11,398 signatures from registered voters in Michigan. They have until 4 p.m. Dec. 13 to file those nominating petitions.

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But Laura Cox, chairwoman of the Michigan GOP, said she there are plenty of reasons for only Trump to be on the ballot. The party's state committee unanimously endorsed Trump for reelection in September.

"Our state and our nation will only grow stronger, safer and more prosperous over the next four years, and it is my honor to submit the president’s name for the primary," Cox said in a statement.

Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Christian Slater said the Republicans wanting to remove all other GOP candidates "showed Republicans are desperate to silence the growing dissent in their own party and cover for Donald Trump's broken promises."

But Cox also added that Trump is the only campaign that contacted the Republican Party about appearing on the state GOP's list of primary candidates.

Walsh, Sanford and Weld were all in Michigan last month during a conference in Detroit. Of the effort to keep them off the ballot in other states, Sanford said the Trump campaign organization was worried and pushing for the long shots to be kept off the ballot.

"As a former two-term governor from South Carolina, I think they were afraid something could happen in the primary," he said.

Six states have acted to ensure Trump's primary dominance. Alaska, Kansas, Arizona, Nevada and South Carolina have said that Trump will be the only GOP candidate on their primary ballots.

Michigan is a key state in the 2020 elections. Trump was the first Republican to win the state since 1988, but won by the closest margin in the country — 10,704 votes better than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The Democrats included on both Benson's and the Democratic party's lists of candidates are U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; former Vice President Joe Biden; former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Montana Gov. Steve Bullock; South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former mayor of San Antonio and U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro; former U.S. Reps. John Delaney of Maryland and Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania; U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida; billionaire businessmen Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang, and author Marianne Williamson.

It is not unprecedented for some presidential candidates to be left off the party's list of viable candidates. In 2012, a handful of people filed to run against President Barack Obama, but he was the only candidate submitted by the Democratic Party. The other candidates, though, were far less well-known and had no elected office experience.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepres.com or on Twitter @michpoligal