Some establishment Michigan Republicans are getting upset by what they say is a takeover of the party by far-right extremists who also have a militant bent to them.
They don't believe this is constructive for the party, and some are even alarmed that their actions might take the party's reputation through the mud with them.
Raw Story reports that one of the issues that moderate Republicans are upset about is that some of these far-right extremists have shown up at GOP events with firearms in hand. They say this is intimidating to people who might want to come to the event for legitimate purposes, and they say this is harmful to the party's brand.
Reuters reports that far-right members of the America First Republicans have taken over leadership of approximately 83 countries in Michigan. This is alarming for many officials as they plan to hold internal elections that will steer the state party in one direction or another. Some are worried that the party will be headed in the wrong direction if the extremists are allowed to continue to do what they want and consolidate more and more power.
The party is afraid that the more extreme candidates are not viable when they face a general election. They have seen a spate of losses in general elections from their more extreme candidates, which has troubled a great deal of the party as they try to work out what they should do to keep the extremists from taking over.
A report by Reuters on the issue states: "hardliners deployed armed guards to bar moderate delegates from a county meeting last August, threatening to bring criminal trespassing charges against them, according to an email to the moderates seen by Reuters."
Penny Swan, who exposed the armed guards at GOP events, said, "To me, this is like a coup of the Republican Party," and "It's like the radical right is trying take over."
Reuters said the following: "Saturday's meeting is expected to cement Michigan Republicans' shift to the right," and "The top two candidates for state party chair have both promoted conspiracy theories in support of Trump's false claims about voter fraud. Nine other candidates are running, including Scott Greenlee, a political consultant favored by moderates who is seen as having an outside chance."
There is a lot of back and forth among the party right now, but some internal conflicts need to be settled now.
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