GOP senators told that Peter Meijer will launch a Michigan Senate bid
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told Republican senators that former GOP Rep. Peter Meijer will launch a Michigan Senate campaign this week, citing a conversation he had with a Meijer family member.
Young informed colleagues at a Senate GOP lunch Tuesday that he heard Meijer would jump into the race within 48 hours, according to two people in the room who were granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
Meijer, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2021, lost his West Michigan seat the following year to a Trump-backed primary challenger. He announced in August that he was exploring a run for Senate but has since gone quiet.
His decision to enter the race would add to an already crowded Michigan GOP primary field — which includes another former Republican congressman.
Meijer is also an Army veteran who served in Iraq and the only first-term member who voted to oust Trump in the former president's second impeachment. That record could play well with moderate or independent voters who Democrats in Michigan will also work avidly to court.
Not to mention that, as the scion of the Meijer grocery dynasty, Meijer has ample ability to self-fund and allies who could choose to form a super PAC.
Meijer and Young declined to comment on talk of a potential Meijer candidacy.
The GOP primary field has gotten crowded in the months since Meijer first began weighing a bid. Two major candidates are now running: Rep. Mike Rogers, a one-time House Intelligence Committee chair, and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig. Still more Republicans could enter, lured by the prospect of an open-seat race to replace retiring incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).
Democrats have largely coalesced around Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in the race, though actor Hill Harper is running as well.
While Senate Republicans have a number of more viable targets to pick up seats this cycle — like West Virginia, Ohio or Montana — they’re still hoping to expand their map with good recruits in places like blue-leaning Michigan. That means trying to avoid messy primaries in key states, including Michigan.
John Tuttle, the vice chair of the New York Stock Exchange, bowed out of contention after considering a run on the GOP side.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines has spoken warmly of Rogers, whom the committee recruited to run. In a September interview with POLITICO, Daines suggested that Meijer could struggle to win the nomination given how publicly he's crossed Trump.
“Can he win a primary and a general election? That’s always the question,” Daines said of Meijer. “Mike Rogers is best positioned to be able to do both.”
Olivia Beavers contributed.