Kristina Karamo (born 1985 or 1986) is an American politician and former poll watcher who served as the chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party from 2023 to 2024. Karamo was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election, losing to incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson in a landslide. She is commonly seen as being far-right.[1]
Kristina Karamo | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the Michigan Republican Party | |
| In office February 18, 2023 – January 6, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ronald Weiser |
| Succeeded by | Malinda Pego (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1985 or 1986 (age 38–39) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Adom Karamo (div. 2014) |
| Education | Macomb County Community College Oakland University (BA) Talbot School of Theology (MA) |
Karamo is a staunch proponent of many debunked conspiracy theories, including the false claim that Donald Trump won Michigan (and the national presidential election) in 2020.[2][3][4]
Education and teaching career
editKaramo received an associate's degree from Macomb County Community College.[5] She graduated from Oakland University with a bachelor's in communications and media studies. She graduated from Talbot School of Theology with a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics.[6][7]
As of 2017, she has served as an instructor of Career and Professional Development at Wayne County Community College.[8][6][7][9]
Political activities
editKaramo was a member of the MIGOP State Committee.[6] She ran for the 10th district of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in 2018, which covers the city of Pontiac, but lost in the Republican primary.[10][11]
2020 presidential election
editKaramo was a poll watcher in the 2020 presidential election.[6] After Donald Trump lost the election to Joe Biden, she began repeating Trump's false claims that there had been massive voter fraud.[3] She alleged illegal votes were included in the count.[9] She stated in an affidavit that she had "personally witnessed" irregularities in vote counting during her time as a poll watcher.[9] After the January 6th United States Capitol attack, she called it a false-flag operation, saying that "this is completely Antifa posing as Trump supporters...anybody can buy a MAGA hat and put on a t-shirt and buy a Trump flag”.[9]
2022 Michigan Secretary of State candidacy
editKaramo was the party's nominee in the 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election.[9] She framed her platform as based on family values and religion, including a religious objection to abortion.[9]
Two weeks before election day, she filed a lawsuit in which she alleged ballot "mules" had cast illegal ballots and that there were concerns with voting machines, attempting to throw out absentee ballots from Detroit.[3][12]
Karamo lost to incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson by 14 percentage points, the largest margin of defeat for any statewide Republican candidate that year, but she refused to concede the election. Hers was also the worst performance for a Republican Secretary of State nominee since 1990.[3]
Michigan Republican Party Chair
editIn 2023 Karamo was elected to lead the Michigan Republican Party.[3] Karamo was the first Black woman to chair the state party.[13]
In March 2023, Karamo faced widespread criticism and condemnation for defending a social media post by the Michigan Republican Party which compared recent gun control bills passed by the legislature to the Holocaust.[14][15] Karamo defended the comparison and refused to apologize or take down the post. In a contentious press conference, Karamo argued that people get “way too offended” and said it should not be controversial to "point to history".[16] Several prominent Michigan GOP officeholders and officials, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and numerous others have condemned the comparison and Karamo’s defense of the post.[17][18] On January 6, 2024, the party voted to oust her as chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party after criticism for the lack of fundraising and other financial problems. Karamo has refused to recognize her ouster, claiming the meeting where she was voted out was "illegal".[19][20] The Republican National Committee contradicted Karamo's claims and stated their initial review of the removal indicated that she was "properly removed".[21] Karamo was officially replaced on February 14, 2024 by Pete Hoekstra.[22] Kent County judge Joseph Rossi ruled on February 27 that her removal was "valid."[23]
Personal life
editKaramo is a resident of Oak Park and is a divorced mother of two children.[24] She was married to Adom Karamo; the marriage ended in 2014 with a divorce.[25] In an October 2021 court record first published by Jezebel, her ex-husband Adom Karamo claimed that she had threatened to kill herself and their daughters in a car crash.[26] Karamo denied these allegations, saying they were an attempt by her ex-husband to "exploit the fact that [she is] a public figure, using it as leverage to change the custody agreement he became dissatisfied with".[9][27]
Karamo believes that demonic possession is real and may be transferred through sexual relations. She has also said that abortion is child sacrifice and a Satanic practice,[28][29] that pop stars such as Beyonce, Jay-Z, Cardi B, Ariana Grande, and Billie Eilish are tools of Satan recruiting their followers into paganism, and that yoga is a ritual to summon demons. Karamo is also a fan of Korean dramas, yet criticized one plot line centered on communicating with deceased ancestors, saying, "Satan, again, he's so crafty... It is so important to know that you're not communicating with no ancestors. Sweetheart, you're communicating with demons."[30][31]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David B. Foster | 473 | 60.18% | |
| Republican | Kristina Karamo | 307 | 39.06% | |
| Write-in | 6 | 0.76% | ||
| Total votes | 786 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jocelyn Benson (incumbent) | 2,467,859 | 55.86% | 2.96% | |
| Republican | Kristina Karamo | 1,852,510 | 41.93% | −2.05% | |
| Libertarian | Gregory Scott Stempfle | 52,982 | 1.20% | −0.76% | |
| Constitution | Christine Schwartz | 27,937 | 0.63% | −0.54% | |
| Green | Larry James Hutchinson Jr. | 16,615 | 0.38% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 4,417,903 | 100.00% | |||
References
edit- ^ Multiple sources:
- Arnsdorf, Isaac (February 18, 2023). "Far-right election denier beats Trump's pick for Michigan GOP". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- Layne, Nathan (February 18, 2023). "Michigan Republicans tap election denier to lead state party". Reuters. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
..elevating an election denier to a critical leadership role in a sign of the growing clout of far-right and grassroots members..
- "Finley: R.I.P., Michigan GOP". The Detroit News. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
..under Karamo, who dwells on the very far right.
- Gabbatt, Adam (March 23, 2023). "Michigan GOP chair refuses to apologize for comparing gun control to Holocaust". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Arnsdorf, Isaac. "Far-right election denier beats Trump's pick for Michigan GOP". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Vigdor, Neil (February 18, 2023). "Michigan G.O.P. Installs Kristina Karamo, an Election Denier, as Leader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Mangan, Dan; Breuninger, Kevin (September 2, 2022). "Trump pick for Michigan secretary of state race Kristina Karamo threatened to kill her family, court records claim". CNBC. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Kristina Karamo". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Collins, Tim (May 13, 2021). "Detroit Mom to Run Against Michigan Secretary of State Benson". 95.3 WBCKFM. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Detroit-area college professor enters 2022 MI Secretary of State race". WZZM13.com. May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ "Kristina Karamo at Wayne County Community College District".
- ^ a b c d e f g King, Jon (October 8, 2022). "Karamo makes abortion and religion the centerpieces of her secretary of state campaign". Michigan Advance. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "Pontiac educator running for Oakland County Board of Commissioners seat". The Oakland Press. May 23, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Election Results". Oakland County Elections Division. August 22, 2018. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Weisman, Jonathan; McFadden, Alyce (November 7, 2022). "Candidates Make Final Appeals in Midterms Campaigns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "Kristina Karamo elected chair of Michigan Republican Party". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "MIGOP facing backlash over tweet comparing gun legislation to Holocaust". WLNS 6 News. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ Sylvester, Anthony; Louise, Rachel (March 22, 2023). "MIGOP receives national condemnation after tweet comparing gun bills to Holocaust". WWMT. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "Michigan GOP attempts to tie gun reforms to Holocaust, faces backlash". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ Schnell, Mychael (March 22, 2023). "Republican Jewish Coalition leader blasts 'offensive' state party tweet, image". The Hill. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ Gabbatt, Adam (March 23, 2023). "Michigan GOP chair refuses to apologize for comparing gun control to Holocaust". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "Far-right election denier beats Trump's pick for Michigan GOP". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Cappelletti, Joey (January 6, 2024). "Michigan Republicans vote to remove chair Kristina Karamo as she promises not to accept result". Associated Press News. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "R.N.C. Says It Looks Like Michigan G.O.P. Leader Was 'Properly Removed'". The New York Times. January 25, 2024.
- ^ Ukenye, Lawrence (February 14, 2024). "Michigan GOP chair officially ousted after weeks of chaos". Politico. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Judge affirms ouster of Michigan Republican Party leader Karamo". Associated Press. February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ Godfrey, Elaine (May 22, 2022). "The Election Denier Who Could Run Michigan's Elections". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Schuster, Simon (September 2, 2022). "Michigan Republican SOS candidate Kristina Karamo tried to crash car with family in it, according to court filing". MLive. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "'Fuck It, I'll Kill Us All': Kristina Karamo's Ex-Husband Accused Her of Trying to Crash Car with Entire Family Inside". Jezebel. September 2, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "Trump pick for Michigan secretary of state race Kristina Karamo threatened to kill her family, court records claim". CNBC. September 2, 2022.
- ^ Burris, Sarah (July 5, 2022). "Trump-backed Michigan Republican warns of "demonic possession" through sex". Salon. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "Hear Michigan's Trump-backed secretary of state nominee compare abortion to 'child sacrifice'". CNN Politics. July 6, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Hananoki, Eric (April 25, 2022). "Michigan secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo: Beyoncé, Cardi B, Korean drama, and yoga are tools of Satan". Media Matters for America. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Joseph, Cameron (April 26, 2022). "Beyoncé, Yoga, Billie Eilish: Trump-Backed Candidate Thinks Everything Is Satanic". Vice. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Election Results.