Name: Michigan GOP chair calls Gretchen Whitmer, female Democrats "witches," suggests "assassination"
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Michigan GOP chair calls Gretchen Whitmer, female Democrats "witches," suggests "assassination"

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ShareThe chair of the Michigan Republican Party referred to three of the state's top female lawmakers as "witches" as part of an effort to summon voter support ahead of next year's midterm election.Michigan GOP Chair Ron Weiser's comments to a group that gathered on Thursday were shared in a video posted on . While standing at a podium in front of signage for the North Oakland Republican Club, a political organization based in White Lake, Weiser emphasized the importance of voter participation in the 2022 midterms and said he wanted to shift the state from blue to "bright red."His comments came just a few months after President won Michigan, which typically serves as a battleground state during presidential elections. Former President won Michigan during the previous presidential election cycle.Weiser said on Thursday that Republican efforts tied to "raising the resources" to win seats in 2022 were moving forward."Our job now is to soften up those three witches and make sure we have good candidates to run against them, that they are ready for the burning at the stake," he told the gathering. Weiser went on to specify that there were three statewide elected positions on which he was focused: the seats held by the governor, secretary of state and attorney general.Gretchen Whitmer currently serves as Michigan's governor, and Michigan's secretary of state is . serves as Michigan's attorney general.The Detroit News was first to report on Weiser's comments after the paper obtained video from the event.In the video, an audience member asked Weiser how voters could go about unseating two of Michigan's members of who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump earlier this year following the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6. Weiser replied: "We're focused on the things I told you before: We're focused on the three witches, we're focused on the eight head board seats, we're focused on the majorities for the House and Senate—our state House and ."Weiser later appeared to jokingly reference assassination when a crowd member asked about "witches in our own party.""Other than assassination, I have no other way other than voting," he responded.A spokesman for the Michigan GOP told the paper on Friday that Weiser "has personally donated to all Republican congressmen in Michigan and is focused on defeating , rather than involving the party in primary fights."Newsweek reached out to the Michigan Republican Party for comment and will update this article with any response.A spokesperson for Whitmer's office told The Detroit Free Press that the state's elected officials saw a "dramatic increase" in death threats during Trump's time in office and said Weiser's comments were "downright dangerous."Weiser's comments came in the wake of an election season during which widely debunked allegations of voter fraud spread throughout the United States. Prior to the 2020 general election, Whitmer, a Democrat, faced extensive pushback from some Michiganders for the tight lockdown restrictions she introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Several individuals who were arrested for allegedly plotting to kidnap Whitmer have been accused of citing those lockdown efforts in messages obtained by federal investigators., orVSCHOOSE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONPREMIUMDIGITAL+ Ad FreeNEWSLETTERBEST OF NEWSWEEK VIA EMAILJoin half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters

ShareThe chair of the Michigan Republican Party referred to three of the state's top female lawmakers as "witches" as part of an effort to summon voter support ahead of next year's midterm election.Michigan GOP Chair Ron Weiser's comments to a group that gathered on Thursday were shared in a video posted on . While standing at a podium in front of signage for the North Oakland Republican Club, a political organization based in White Lake, Weiser emphasized the importance of voter participation in the 2022 midterms and said he wanted to shift the state from blue to "bright red."His comments...

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Michigan GOP chair calls Gretchen Whitmer, female Democrats "witches," suggests "assassination"

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