Paul Consultant Says Top Rubio Deputy Punched Him

Six Republican presidential contenders will give keynote speeches at the Republican Leadership Conference that continues through Sunday at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac island. (Photo via Creative Commons)

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The opening night of the big Republican confab on Mackinac Island, where a half dozen presidential candidates will schmooze some of Michigan’s most powerful business and political leaders, started with a brawl Thursday night.

Honest, Donald Trump was nowhere in the room — nor is the flamboyant GOP frontrunner among the candidates seeking favor with Michigan influentials this weekend at the Republican Leadership Conference.

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It seems a couple of campaign aides — a top official for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and a Michigan consultant working for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — got into it in Horn’s Gaslight Bar, a popular Mackinac Island nightspot.

Rubio’s deputy campaign manager, Rich Beeson, reportedly punched Rand’s consultant, John Yob, in the face. Yob, of Grand Rapids, posted the following on his Facebook page:

“Last night I went to a bar on Mackinac Island for the GOP Mackinac Conference. I ran into a guy named Rich Beeson, who frankly I didn’t even know who it was at first because he isn’t relevant in our political world. Anyway, he is Marco Rubio’s national campaign manager. He literally physically assaulted me by punching me in the face. The state police are looking for him. I have it on video, from multiple angles. This will play out in the national media in the next few hours.”

In a later social media post, Yob called on Rubio “to fire Rich Beeson effective immediately.”

The Michigan State Police told The Detroit News the agency wasn’t called, and that the Mackinac Island Police Department responded. When contacted by the newspaper, authorities at the local police department declined comment and said it was unclear if a report of the incident would be made public.

All 16 Republican candidates were invited to the conference, Michigan GOP communications director Sarah Anderson said. A record 2,180 GOP leaders, donors and activists have registered to attend the conference as Michigan takes on a more important role in the presidential selection process, Anderson told Patch last month.

“Michigan is going to be critical, both in the primary and general election,” Anderson said at the time, explaining the state allocates its delegates proportionally in presidential primaries. “It’s not a winner-take-all, so we’re going to get a lot of attention.”

Neither Yob nor the Rubio campaign immediately returned Patch’s requests for comment.