Just weeks after a number Republican candidates in Michigan were removed from the primary election ballot for failing to obtain enough signatures on nomination papers, a GOP candidate who qualified was arrested for his involvement in the breach at the U.S. Capitol building in January 2021.
Ryan Kelley was arrested at his home on Thursday morningHe is facing charges in connection to the attack on the Capitol. According to prosecutors, he faces misdemeanor allegations for being on restricted ground of the Capitol Building and for engaging in disorderly behavior, among other charges.
In addition to his arrest and reporting by local media, the FBI was also conducting a search inside Kelley’s home in Allendale, Michigan.
Kelley, while he acknowledged being at Capitol that day has denied ever having entered the building. The Justice Department received numerous tips about his actions, including images and videos of him climbing structures and encouraging others. Some of those tips were only 10 days after the attack.
Kelley was in Washington D.C. on January 6 due to his belief that the election was “stolen” from former President Donald Trump through election fraud. (No fraud claims have ever been proven.) Kelley has pushed such claims himself, speaking at a November 2020 “Stop the Steal” rally in Lansing, Michigan, and encouraging the crowd to “stand and fight” for Trump and against the election’s outcome.
A relatively unknown politician in the state, Kelley wasn’t seen as a favorite at the beginning of the campaign season. His chances of winning the Michigan gubernatorial Republican primary increased significantly after Kelley defeated five other candidates, some of whom were considered front-runners. didn’t qualify for the ballot after failing to garner enough signatures on their nomination papers by last month’s deadline. After that, you can submit your application. statewide poll found that Kelley led the pack of the remaining five individuals runningAlthough his numbers were still low, he was able to get a job.
A Target Insyght and Michigan Information and Research Service poll released in May found that Kelley received support from 19 percent of Republican voters in the state. Kelley’s second competitor, Kevin Rinke, a businessman, had 15%. Tudor Dixon, a businesswoman, was third with just 9%. Not surprisingly, 49 per cent of respondents to the poll said that they were still undecided because none of the candidates are household name in Michigan.
The Michigan Republican Party’s gubernatorial primary is slated to take place on August 2.
