Former Rep. Peter Major, who lost his seat in the House of Representatives after voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump, has dropped out. crowded Republican Senate primary In Michigan.
Angela Benander, spokeswoman for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, confirmed to NBC News that Meijer. withdrew his candidacy before the Friday afternoon deadline.
“I entered this race because I believed I had the strongest chance to win in November to right this ship and work to reverse the trends that have worsened in recent months,” Meijer said.
“The hard reality is that the fundamentals of the race have changed significantly since we started this campaign,” Meijer said. had raised petitions related to his campaign added earlier in the week. “After prayerful deliberation, I withdrew my name from the primary ballot today. Continuing this campaign without a strong path to victory only increases the likelihood of a divisive primary that will detract from the primary goal – conservative victories in November.
Former representative was Mike Rogers Approved by Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee consolidated GOP support in recent months ahead of the August primary, which included former Rep. Justin Amash, entrepreneur Sandy Pensler and physician Sherry O’Donnell. Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who had been seen as a front-runner for the nomination, had earlier dropped out of the race and endorsed Rogers.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner in a Democratic field that also includes actor Hill Harper and businessman Nasser Beydoun.
Not Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow wants to run for the fourth term. His retirement set up what was expected to be a competitive race in the presidential race.
Meijer has always been seen as a long-shot, given his past criticism of Trump and his vote to impeach him in January 2021 following a riot at the US Capitol. Amash, another Trump critic whom Meijer has succeeded in Congress, voted to impeach Trump in 2019.
But Meijer tried to soften his stance on Trump by admitting Politico interview last year he said that he is ready to vote for the Republican candidate for the presidency in 2024 won enough reps to secure his candidacy.