State Sen. Lana Theis won the Republican primary over Trump-endorsed challenger Mike Detmer by a margin of nearly 20 points.
Theis, one of the Legislature’s most-conservative members, is vice chair of the Senate Oversight Committee, which announced in a high-profile report last year that there were no significant acts of fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump endorsed Detmer in the primary, saying that Theis “forgot” she is a Republican.
Detmer, who has lost the two races in which he’s run, is well-known for his tasteless social media habits — including his selfies with Proud Boys.
This race caught the attention of the Country First PAC, founded by Congressman Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who sits on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Country First Michigan sent out a mailing claiming that only a Republican will win the 22nd state Senate District (which includes all of Livingston County, as well as parts of eastern Ingham, southern Shiawassee, southern Genesee and northwestern Oakland counties), so Democrats should vote against the “pro-insurrection” Republicans.
Theis will face Democrat Jordan Genso of Brighton in the November general election.
