Viola Klocko
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig was swarmed by protesters at his campaign launch at Belle Isle.
Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig lost his appeal to appear on the ballot in the Republican gubernatorial primary after turning in thousands of fraudulent signatures.
The Michigan Court of Claims ruled Thursday that the Board of State Canvassers made the right decision by kicking him off the ballot for failing to turn in enough valid signatures.
In a statement, Craig said he was “very disappointed” and that he plans to appeal.
“We will continue to fight for our campaign to be on the August primary ballot as a Republican candidate for Governor,” Craig said. “The voters should be deciding who their candidates are, not an unelected board of government bureaucrats. Rest assured, we will be appealing this questionable decision to a higher court. Our fight is not over.”
Craig and four other gubernatorial Republican candidates were disqualified last week when canvassers voted 2-2 on whether he should make the ballot. The five Republicans turned in thousands of fraudulent signatures.
Two of the Republicans — self-described “quality guru” Perry Johnson and financial adviser Michael Markey — challenged the canvassers’ decision in the Michigan Court of Appeals. The court rejected their appeals on Wednesday.
Johnson appealed his case to the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The Republicans claimed the canvassers had a legal duty to check every signature that was rejected. The Michigan Court of Appeals and Court of Claims disagreed, pointing out that canvassers discovered that a group of 36 fraudsters had forged the signatures of registered voters.
On May 24, Craig called on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate the petition gatherers.
“The job of the Attorney General is to enforce the laws of our state. It is clear now that our campaign, along with several others, have been defrauded by these criminals," Craig said in a written statement. "Whether for political or monetary gain, these individuals must be held accountable for their actions."
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