Kristina Karamo
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Kristina Karamo (born 1985 or 1986) is an American politician and former poll watcher who served as the
chairperson The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...
of the
Michigan Republican Party The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, United States, sometimes referred to as MIGOP. Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been elected in 2015 by delegates ...
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 Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
. Karamo is a staunch proponent of many debunked conspiracy theories, including the false claim that
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
won Michigan (and the national presidential election) in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
.


Education and teaching career

Karamo received an associate's degree from Macomb County Community College. She graduated from
Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...
with a bachelor's in communications and media studies. She graduated from Talbot School of Theology with a master’s degree in
Christian Apologetics Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...
. As of 2017, she has served as an instructor of Career and Professional Development at Wayne County Community College.


Political activities

Karamo was a member of the MIGOP State Committee. She ran for the 10th district of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in 2018, which covers the city of
Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...
, but lost in the Republican primary.


2020 presidential election

Karamo was a poll watcher in the 2020 presidential election. After
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
lost the election to
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, she began repeating Trump's false claims that there had been massive voter fraud. She alleged illegal votes were included in the count. She stated in an affidavit that she had "personally witnessed" irregularities in vote counting during her time as a poll watcher. After the January 6th United States Capitol attack, she called it a
false-flag operation A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misrep ...
, saying that "this is completely Antifa posing as Trump supporters...anybody can buy a
MAGA "Make America Great Again" (MAGA, ) is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign, his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and Donald Trump 2024 presidential cam ...
hat and put on a t-shirt and buy a Trump flag”.


2022 Michigan Secretary of State candidacy

Karamo was the party's nominee in the 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election. She framed her platform as based on family values and religion, including a religious objection to abortion. 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 ballot Absentee or The Absentee may refer to: * Absentee (band), a British band * The Absentee, a novel by Maria Edgeworth, published in 1812 in ''Tales of Fashionable Life'' * ''The Absentee'' (1915 film), a 1915 American silent film directed by Christy ...
s from Detroit. 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 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
.


Michigan Republican Party Chair

In 2023 Karamo was elected to lead the
Michigan Republican Party The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, United States, sometimes referred to as MIGOP. Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been elected in 2015 by delegates ...
. Karamo was the first Black woman to chair the state party. 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 Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
bills passed by the legislature to the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. 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". 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. 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". The
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
contradicted Karamo's claims and stated their initial review of the removal indicated that she was "properly removed". Karamo was officially replaced on February 14, 2024 by
Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who is serving as Ambassador to Canada. Hoekstra had served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member ...
. Kent County judge Joseph Rossi ruled on February 27 that her removal was "valid."


2024 leadership schism

On January 6, 2024, a group of Michigan Republican Party state committee members voted 40–5 to remove Karamo, using proxies set by District Chairs without the knowledge of the proxied members to attain quorum. The group of state committee members acknowledged Malinda Pego, who served as co-chair under Karamo, as Acting Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party until a vote for an official replacement is held. Meanwhile, Kristina Karamo repeatedly stated that she didn't recognize the vote and was therefore still chairwoman, as she claimed that the meeting was setup against the bylaws of the Michigan GOP. Malinda Pego's faction responded with a 31-paged document arguing how the meeting to oust Karamo followed the state party's bylaws, therefore making the results legitimate and legal. On January 13, 2024, another group of Michigan Republican Party state committee members voted to reinstate Kristina Karamo as chair, as well as the removal of several nonsupporting party officials—including Malinda Pego—from the state party, despite Karamo previously claiming that Pego had resigned. That same day, 9 of 13 Michigan GOP Congressional district chairs, as well as 3 of 6 Michigan GOP vice chairs, released a statement acknowledging the ousting of Kristina Karamo the week prior. According to Malinda Pego, a state committee meeting to vote for a new chair was held on January 20, 2024.
Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who is serving as Ambassador to Canada. Hoekstra had served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member ...
was elected as chairman during the vote. However, Karamo has insisted that she is still the legitimate chairperson. The Karamo faction of the party controlled the state party's finances and infrastructure including the official MIGOP web site. The Hoekstra faction of the MIGOP set up its own infrastructure and official website. The RNC determined that Karamo was properly removed as MIGOP chair, but hadn't decided at that time if Hoekstra was the new chair. Both Hoekstra and Karamo were invited to the Republican Party winter meeting in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
on January 30 but neither were credentialed as party chair. The two rivals received guest credentials but were not given voting rights. Former president
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
sided with Hoekstra. The RNC on February 14 recognized Hoekstra as the MIGOP chair. The officially recognized Michigan Republican Party leadership uses a new website, as the prior website was under Karamo's control. Circuit Court Judge Joseph Rossi ruled that Karamo was properly removed as MIGOP chair. Karamo has filed an appeal to the
Michigan Court of Appeals The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965. Its opinions are reporter (law), reported both in an officia ...
. The divisions persisted at the state party's political convention held August 24, 2024 in
Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
to choose nominees for the state supreme court, university presidents and the state board of education. Karamo was ejected from the convention.


Personal life

Karamo is a resident of Oak Park and is a divorced mother of two children. She was married to Adom Karamo; the marriage ended in 2014 with a divorce. In an October 2021 court record first published by ''
Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and
'', her ex-husband Adom Karamo claimed that she had threatened to kill herself and their daughters in a car crash. Karamo denied these allegations, saying they were an attempt by her ex-husband to "exploit the fact that he isa public figure, using it as leverage to change the custody agreement he became dissatisfied with". Karamo believes that
demonic possession Spirit Possession is an altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors which are purportedly caused by the control of a human body and its functions by Supernatural#Spirit, spirits, ghosts, demons, angels, or Deity, gods. The concept ...
is real and may be transferred through sexual relations. She has also said that abortion is
child sacrifice Child sacrifice is the ritualistic killing of children in order to please or appease a deity, supernatural beings, or sacred social order, tribal, group or national loyalties in order to achieve a desired result. As such, it is a form of human ...
and a Satanic practice, that pop stars such as Beyonce,
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
,
Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...
,
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, and
Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...
are tools of
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
recruiting their followers into
paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
, and that
yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
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."


Electoral history


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karamo, Kristina 1980s births 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Activists from Michigan African-American activists African-American people in Michigan politics 21st-century African-American women politicians American conspiracy theorists American women activists Black conservatism in the United States 21st-century American far-right politicians Living people Michigan Republican Party chairs Oakland University alumni Talbot School of Theology alumni Women in Michigan politics