THREE RIVERS, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump is endorsing a Michigan state lawmaker’s bid to unseat a longtime Republican congressman who voted to impeach him.
Trump is giving his “complete and total” endorsement to State Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) who wants to challenge longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) for the GOP primary in 2022.
Upton has gained the ire of Trump supporters for not casting doubt on the 2020 election results and for being one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former President following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“Upton has not done the job that our Country needs, for years has talked about leaving office and not running again, and he voted for Impeachment of the President of the United States on rigged up charges,” said Trump is an emailed statement from his “Save America” PAC.
“This is a monumental moment in our race to defeat Anti-Trumper Fred Upton who voted to impeach President Trump,” said Carra.
Carra has been among the most vocal 2020 election critics and recently called for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 Election, introducing a bill in the legislature that would require one. The bill never gained ground and a Senate GOP report found no evidence of widespread fraud in Michigan.
“A lot of people might say that people want to overturn the election or undo the election, I haven't heard a single person say that. People from my community are saying they want to verify the election results, and whoever won, won,” Carra told FOX 17 in June.
Upton has held his congressional seat since 1986 and outperformed Trump in his district in 2020. He has not yet announced that he will be seeking reelection next year. "Michigan voters know Fred's record of delivering results for Southwest Michigan. He has a full plate working on rebuilding Michigan’s woeful infrastructure, lowering taxes on hardworking families, securing our border, and evacuating Americans and our allies from Afghanistan," his office said in a statement.
The former President who is mulling another presidential run himself, also endorsed Kristina Karamo, who is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Karamo has supported legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and has claimed Trump won in November.
