Nearly 1,900 Republican delegates packed the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Saturday to finalize the party's ticket for the November midterms, formally nominating state Rep. Jay DeBoyer as U.S. Rep. John James's running mate for lieutenant governor. The pairing marks the first time since 1978 that the Michigan Republican Party's statewide executive ticket has gone forward without a woman on it.
The gathering, reported by Bridge Michigan, brought together the party's full slate of statewide candidates just weeks after James emerged from the August 4 primary as the GOP's gubernatorial nominee. According to The Detroit Morning News, James and DeBoyer embraced and waved to the crowd as convention attendees stood and cheered, a moment that capped off a day of speeches from the party's top contenders.
Why DeBoyer, and Why It Matters
DeBoyer, a former St. Clair County clerk who currently chairs the Michigan House Oversight Committee, was formally elevated to the statewide ticket at the convention, a milestone in Michigan's two-track nomination system. Under state election law, gubernatorial and U.S. Senate nominees are chosen directly by voters in the August primary, while running mates, attorney general candidates and secretary of state candidates are selected instead by party delegates at nominating conventions, per Ballotpedia. James won his primary outright on August 4, while Saturday's gathering settled the rest of the down-ballot picture.
DeBoyer's nomination carries an immediate down-ballot consequence: because he is now barred under Michigan law from also seeking re-election to his 63rd State House District seat, local Republican committees in Macomb and St. Clair counties must now designate a replacement candidate for that seat, according to MIRS.news. DeBoyer had been pursuing another term in the state House before accepting the statewide nomination.
An Attorney General Race Between Two Sitting Prosecutors
Doug Lloyd, the current Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney with 34 years of prosecutorial experience, answered questions from delegates at the convention as the party's nominee for attorney general. He will face Democratic nominee and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit in November, a matchup that, per WDIV ClickOnDetroit, marks the first time since 1948 that both major-party candidates for Michigan attorney general have been active sitting prosecutors. Current Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel is term-limited after eight years in office.
Anthony Forlini, the Macomb County Clerk and a former state representative, also fielded questions from delegates as the GOP's secretary of state nominee. He will face current Democratic Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist in the general election, as reported by CBS News Detroit. Forlini had already secured the party's backing at an earlier endorsement convention in March.
James and Rogers Lead a Ticket Shaped by August's Primary
James, a U.S. representative, clinched the Republican gubernatorial nomination in the August 4 primary by defeating self-funded businessman Perry Johnson, setting up a general-election matchup against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer cannot seek a third term because of constitutional term limits. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers also appeared at the Mount Pleasant convention as the Republican nominee for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, where he is set to compete against Democratic nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Rogers ran unopposed in the August 4 GOP primary.
Democrats Set to Counter With an All-Female Ticket
The Democratic Party will finalize its own statewide ticket at a convention yesterday, featuring Benson alongside Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks as her running mate. If elected, Benson and Brinks would form Michigan's first all-female governor-lieutenant governor ticket, a contrast Bridge Michigan drew directly against the all-male GOP pairing settled in Mount Pleasant. Benson announced Brinks as her running mate on August 19, just days before Saturday's Republican convention.
Party Chair Steers Focus to State Issues
Michigan GOP Chair Jim Runestad, a state senator who took over party leadership in February 2025, spoke at the convention and urged attendees to concentrate their campaign efforts on state-level issues such as reading scores and economic conditions. Runestad previously served in both the Michigan House and Senate before becoming state party chair. The full slate of GOP candidates emerging from Mount Pleasant — Lloyd, Forlini, Rogers, DeBoyer and James — now heads into the fall campaign against a Democratic ticket that will take its final shape at the end of the month.
