Pete Hoekstra, chair of the Michigan Republican Party, at a Feb. 17, 2024 rally for former President Donald Trump | Kyle Davidson
While speaking in support of Republican U.S. Senate Candidate and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) Monday, Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra said he feared Democrats would “steal some votes” in audio obtained by the Detroit News.
In the recording, taken from a Monday fundraiser in Farmington Hills, Hoekstra noted the party’s support for Rogers saying the party would do everything it can to make sure Rogers wins his election against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly).
While Hoekstra pointed to Roger’s past experiences winning close races, with Rogers winning the race for U.S. Representative in 2000 by 160 votes, Hoekstra said it’s something the party wouldn’t recommend this election cycle.
“If it gets that close, we are afraid that they will steal some votes to make sure that he doesn’t win,” Hoekstra said in the recording shared by the News.
Republicans both in state and across the country have repeatedly falsely accused Democrats of stealing elections following former President Donald Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden in 2020, in which Biden defeated Trump 306-232 in the electoral college and by a 4-point margin in the popular vote.
A report from the then-GOP-controlled Michigan Senate Oversight Committee in 2020 determined there was no evidence of voter fraud in the state, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from continuing to challenge Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over the guidances issued to clerks in the 2020 election and for following elections.
The Michigan Democratic Party slammed Hoekstra’s remarks in a statement Thursday, arguing Rogers has repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of Michigan’s elections.
“Pete Hoekstra and Michigan Republicans are continuing to spread dangerous election conspiracy theories and undermine our democracy,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement. “It’s clear Republican leaders don’t believe Mike Rogers is capable of winning this race on his own, and instead they want to push lies at the expense of Michigan and our democracy.”