GOP brawl in at Michigan meeting ends with cops called and visit to ER

A gathering of the Michigan Republican party on Saturday night turned physical and put one person in the emergency room, another ‘kicked in the balls and cops called to break up the brawl. 

Tensions boiled over at the Doherty Hotel in Clare, Michigan, as the GOP‘s state committee came together to discuss the party’s direction and the leadership under new chairwoman Kristina Karamo.

As Michigan Republicans arrived at the venue, some found that the door where the meeting was taking place had already been locked and was limited to members of the state committee. 

It left some Republicans frustrated as they were left to stand out in the cold.

James Chapman, a Republican from Wayne County, had traveled to Clare for the meeting only to be forced to listen to it through a locked door. When he tried to get inside, the melee started and included Chapman kicking another member in the groin.

Chapman told The Detroit News how he and others said the Pledge of Allegiance together in the lobby of the hotel – outside of the meeting.

He then attempted to get inside by turning the doorknob of the meeting room. He jiggled the doorknob of the meeting room but found it was locked shut.

Mark DeYoung, chairman of the Clare County Republican Party, came to the door and claimed to have seen someone curse at him through one of the windows.

Upon opening the door, DeYoung said he was instantly attacked. 

‘He kicked me in my balls as soon as I opened the door,’ DeYoung told the outlet, noting how  Chapman took a run at him – slamming him into a chair.

James Chapman, a Republican from Wayne County, said he was locked out of the meeting and attempted to get in by jiggling a doorknob to the meeting room

Mark DeYoung, chairman of the Clare County Republican Party, claims he was attacked by Chapman, kicked in the testicles and broke a rib

The force of the kick caused DeYoung to fall to the floor, breaking a rib in the process. He had to be taken to hospital.

Chapman, meanwhile, defended himself and alleged DeYoung swung at him first saying, ‘I’ll kick your a**.’

DeYoung denied saying the threat.

Chapman said he even removed his glasses before grabbing DeYoung by the legs and knocking him to the floor allegedly saying, ‘When you see me taking my glasses off, I’m ready to rock.’

The police were called to the scene following the scuffle. DeYoung said he intends to press charges against Chapman.

‘We’re so divided. I just wish we could come together,’ DeYoung said from hospital.

In June, tensions also boiled over between Michigan GOP members. 

‘At least four county parties in Michigan have been at open war with themselves, with members suing one another or putting forward competing slates that claim to be in charge. The night before an April state party meeting, two GOP officials got into a physical altercation in a hotel bar over an attempt to expel members,’ The Washington Post reported.

Some of the tension comes over disputes surrounding the party’s chairwoman, Kristina Karamo, who took on the role in February.

Former President Donald Trump, left, listens as the Michigan Republican Secretary of State candidate was seen during a rally in October 2022 (file photo)

Some of the tension comes from disputes surrounding the party’s chairwoman  Karamo, who took on the role in February.

The Post gave further details explaining how she had struggled to raise money, left the party’s headquarters and had struggled to raise funds. 

Karamo, in turn, removed Matt Johnson, the budget committee chairman. Karamo cited ‘dereliction of duty and several other grievances.’

Johnson said the party’s spending was ‘so far out of proportion with income as to put us on the path to bankruptcy’.

In the State as a whole, Democrats currently control the Michigan Senate while Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer comfortably won her reelection by 11 points in November 2022. 

The Michigan Republican Party was flattened during the 2022 midterms with Karamo losing her bid for Secretary of State last November by 14 percentage points to her Democrat rival Jocelyn Benson.

It meant the Michigan GOP was out of power in major state branches for the first time in four decades.