| Michigan Republican Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Robert "Bobby" Schostak |
| Senate leader | Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville |
| House leader | Speaker of the House Jase Bolger |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Headquarters | Secchia-Weiser Republican Center, 520 N. Seymour St., Lansing, MI |
| Ideology | Center-right Conservatism Social conservatism Fiscal conservatism |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Official colors | Red (unofficial) |
| Website | |
| MIGOP.org | |
| Politics of the United States Political parties Elections |
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The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan. It is sometimes referred to as MIGOP, which simply means Michigan Grand Old Party.
Robert "Bobby" Schostak is the Chairman of the Party, having been elected January 29, 2011 at the state convention. Schostak served as the finance chairman during the tenure of chairman Ron Weiser, raising over $30 million for the Party's campaign efforts in 2010. Sharon Wise, is Co-Chairman of the Party [1]. Its National Committee Members are Saulius "Saul" Anuzis and Holly Hughes.
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The Republican Party was born in the early 1850s by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town northwest of Milwaukee, WI. The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan with David S. Walbridge serving as chairman. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. At the Jackson convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in Michigan.
In 1856, the Republicans became a national party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President of the United States under the slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont." Even though they were considered a "third party" because the Democrats and Whigs represented the two-party system at the time, Fremont received 33% of the vote. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican to win the White House. (For continued history [2])
Republicans have been elected Governor of Michigan 27 out of 48 elections. The first was Kingsley Bingham in 1855 and the most recent is the current governor Rick Snyder.
Gerald R. Ford was the only Republican U.S. President and also the only Republican U.S. Vice President from Michigan. He was also the longest living President in U.S. History who died at the age of 93, only surpassing Ronald Reagan by 45 days. He is the only President born in Nebraska, as well as the only President to be buried in Michigan, aling with his wife, Betty.
Thomas W. Ferry was the first Republican from Michigan to become president pro tempore of the Senate (1875–79). Arthur H. Vandenberg was the second (1947–49) as well as the longest serving Republican U.S. Senator from Michigan at 23 years. None have been a U.S. Sentate party leader from Michigan.
In 1857, Zachariah Chandler was the first Republican to serve as U.S. Senator from Michigan (Class 1). Two years later, he served alongside fellow Republican Kinsley Bingham (Class 2). The GOP would continue being elected to serve alongside each other until 1923. The last time two Republicans were simultaneous U.S. Senators from Michigan was from 1953-55 with Homer Ferguson and Charles E. Potter. The last Republican to serve as a U.S. Senator from Michigan was E. Spencer Abraham who left office in 2001.
No Republican Michigander has ever been Speaker of the United States House of Representatives or House Majority Leader.
Gerald R. Ford is the only Republican House Minority Leader (1965–69) from Michigan.
In 1855, William A. Howard (1st district), Henry Waldron (2nd district), and David S. Walbridge (3rd district) became the first three Republicans to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan. Republicans were seated in all Michigan congressional districts during these years: 1857-59, 1860–63, 1865–71, 1873–75, 1879–83, 1895–97, 1899–1903, 1905–11, 1921–23, and 1925-33.
Roy O. Woodruff served 32 years in the U.S. House, the longest as a Republican from Michigan.
Ruth Thompson of Whitehall was the first woman to represent Michigan in Congress and the first woman to serve in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
The only Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from Michigan who was appointed by a Republican President (Benjamin Harrison) was Henry Billings Brown. Zachariah Chandler and Arthur E. Summerfield are the only Michiganders to become Chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The Republican Party currently holds a 9-6 majority of Michigan's U.S. House delegation:
The following are in order of Presidential succession.
| Name | Cabinet Position | Years Served | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Erwin Wilson | Secretary of Defense | 1953-57 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Zachariah Chandler | Secretary of the Interior | 1875-77 | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Roy Dikeman Chapin | Secretary of Commerce | 1932-33 | Herbert Hoover |
| Frederick H. Mueller | Secretary of Commerce | 1959-61 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Governor George W. Romney | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | 1969-73 | Richard Nixon |
| Spencer Abraham | Secretary of Energy | 2001-05 | George W. Bush |
| Governor Russell A. Alger | Secretary of War obsolete | 1897-99 | William McKinley |
| Truman H. Newberry | Secretary of the Navy obsolete | 1908-09 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Edwin C. Denby | Secretary of the Navy obsolete | 1921-24 | Warren G. Harding & Calvin Coolidge |
| Arthur E. Summerfield | Postmaster General obsolete | 1953-61 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
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