Republicans Craig, Johnson Ineligible For Michigan's August Primary: Officials

MICHIGAN — Five Republican candidates for governor were deemed ineligible for the August ballot because of forged signatures, the Michigan Bureau of Elections said Monday.

The revelations could leave Republicans without their top candidate, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig and their wealthiest candidate businessman Perry Johnson. Michael Markey, Michael Brown and Donna Brandenburg also failed to get enough valid signatures, officials said.

Officials said the candidates committed massive fraud with paid signatures, forged signatures and dead people on the petitions forms. For example, officials accused Craig's campaign of hiring 18 people to collect more than 9,000 signatures.

"In total, the bureau estimates that these circulators submitted at least 68,000 invalid signatures submitted across 10 sets of nominating petitions," the report said, according to the Detroit News. "In several instances, the number of invalid signatures submitted by these circulators was the reason a candidate had an insufficient number of valid signatures."

Furthermore, the report said only 10,192 of Craig's 21,305 signatures were "facially valid," leaving him short of the 15,000 signature threshold needed to qualify for the primary ballot.

"I'm a fighter, always been a fighter," Craig told Fox 2 Detroit. "Michigan wants something different. I know, everyone else knows, I was the GOP candidate that would have upset the incumbent."

In order to qualify for the primary ballot, a candidate must receive at least 15,000 signatures from registered voters, including at least 100 voters in half of the state's 14 congressional districts, by its deadline, which was April 19.

"We strongly believe they are refusing to count thousands of signatures from legitimate voters who signed the petitions and look forward to winning this fight before the board and, if necessary, in the courts," Johnson’s campaign said in a statement.

The state's Board of Canvassers were expected to meet Thursday to review the investigation and determined whether the Republicans should be disqualified from the August primary. If the candidates are disqualified from the race, it would cut the Republican candidates seeking governor in half.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes called for the Republicans accused of forging signatures to withdraw from the race.

"All of the candidates who submitted fraudulent signatures – including James Craig, Perry Johnson, and Tudor Dixon – should do the right thing and immediately withdraw from the race," Barnes said. "Their refusal to adhere to Michigan election law is disqualifying."