Michigan GOP candidate for governor Ryan Kelley was arrested on misdemeanor charges earlier this month for his alleged activities in the January 6 insurrection. Kelley is accused of “trespassing, disorderly conduct, committing an act of violence against a person or property on restricted grounds, and depredation of federal property.” He allegedly waved some insurrectionists up the stairway into the Capitol and assisted another rioter who vandalized scaffolding that held up the stage for President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Kelley could face up to a year in prison for these “misdemeanor” counts. Wonkette never expected Kelley to drop out of the governor’s race. Republicans today lack any trait resembling shame. We even “bet he gets a bump in the polls from this.” Really, Wonkette wrote that!
Alas, Wonkette was correct. Again.
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A Detroit Free Press poll conducted in the days after Kelley’s arrest showed him leading the GOP primary field with a not-so-impressive 17 percent. Coming in second with 13 percent is Garrett Soldano, who believes rape victims should carry their pregnancies to term because it’s apparently the will of an asshole God. A close third is Kevin Rinke, who ran a campaign ad suggesting that “dead people always vote Democrat.” Coming in fourth with five percent is businesswoman Tudor Dixon, who is a real person and not an architectural style in an all-white neighborhood. Some person named Ralph Rebandt brings up the rear with a piddly-ass one percent.
This excludes the candidates who were kicked off the ballot because their nominating petitions contained fraudulent signatures. The patrons at Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars are more respectable than these Republicans running for governor. However, what’s truly depressing is that Kelley’s arrest has actually convinced some voters he’s the real seditionist deal.
Yes, 45 percent of primary voters are undecided — who can blame them? — but Kelley’s name recognition has only increased since his arrest, as well as his total favorability.
The Detroit Free Press reports:
Jim Flarity, of Lenawee County, said he was already leaning toward supporting Kelley in the primary, but the FBI arrest cemented his decision to vote for Kelley come August.
“The number one reason is he was arrested by the FBI,” Flarity told the Free Press. “I had my own issues with the FBI about the Jan. 6 incident, even though I wasn’t there.” He said he lost access to his Facebook profile due to posts made on the website with which the FBI took issue.
It’s all fun law-and-order games for Republicans until actual white people are arrested for the crimes they allegedly commit in broad daylight. A mean federal judge even ordered Kelley to surrender his guns. Is this even a white man’s America anymore?
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Kelley is a Big Lie promoter who told his supporters that if “you see something you don’t like happening with the [voting] machines … unplug it from the wall.” That isn’t at all legal, but we guess Kelley wants everyone to hop on the voter intimidation insurrection bandwagon.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asked, “Will [Michigan state GOP] condemn the encouragement of felonious acts by its candidates for office? Or is this cool now?” That was obviously a rhetorical question.
The GOP primary candidates are all desperate for Donald Trump’s endorsement, but Kelley has an arrest sheet to prove his devotion to the mad MAGA king. Kelley received a prime slot on Tucker Carlson’s white power hour last week where he presented himself as the victim of political persecution. Michigan’s GOP primary has been described as a “circus,” and this clown could actually win.
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