FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
March 18, 2024
Contact: Denzel McCampbell, denzel@progressmichigan.org, 313-400-0298
Poll Highlight: Many Michiganders Think Michigan Republicans Have a White Supremacy Problem
Lake Effect newsletter highlights Michigan opinion on white supremacy, Rep. Schriver, and the Michigan Republican Party
MICHIGAN – Earlier this month, Progress Michigan released the March issue of Lake Effect, a monthly poll tracking public opinion about a variety of issues and political figures. In light of the racist conspiracy theories and white nationalist rhetoric coming from Representative Josh Schriver and the Michigan Republican Party’s silence on the matter, polling shows that Michiganders are turned off by this bigoted hard-right turn.
“Touting white nationalist rhetoric and conspiracy theories used to be considered fringe, but now it’s barely a surprise that a Republican lawmaker feels comfortable using them as talking points to gain a larger following,” said Sam Inglot, executive director of Progress Michigan. “The Michigan Republican Party leadership has allowed the rot of white nationalism and white supremacy to spread within their ranks, and Michiganders agree Representative Schriver is merely an example of that decay.”
When asked if they believe Representative Schriver is an outlier or representative of the Michigan Republican Party when it comes to white nationalism and white supremacy:
- 45 percent of respondents said they believe he is representative of the rise of white nationalist and white supremacist views within the Michigan Republican Party while just 22 percent believe he is an outlier, and 33 percent are not sure.
When asked if a candidate for office being connected to white nationalists or having white supremacist views makes them more likely or less likely to support that candidate and party:
- 68 percent of respondents said it made them less likely and just 4 percent said it made them more likely, with 20 percent saying it doesn’t make a difference.
“The Michigan Republican Party has been complicit in allowing this dangerous racist rhetoric and sentiment to spread within their ranks and even encouraging it in order to activate their MAGA base so Republicans can cling to power,” Inglot continued. “House Minority Leader Matt Hall and Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoesktra should realize the danger this rhetoric poses to the state and actively speak out against it, but we’re not holding our breath.”
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