The president of the assembly said he was threatened
Saginaw County, Mich. (WJRT) – A contentious Saginaw County Republican convention led to police being called, with the convention president alleging he was threatened.
Last November, Saginaw County Republicans began infighting. Things didn’t appear to be much better after Thursday night’s event.
This is because certain factions of the party are vying for control.
At least six police officers were called to the town of Thomas for the convention. Things eventually calmed down, but it seemed the battle for the soul of the Saginaw County Republican Party continued.
“Video footage shows that the minutes of the meeting were inaccurate,” Josiah Just could be heard saying at the convention on Thursday night.
He was elected chairman of the Saginaw County Republican Convention, which is held to select the district’s delegates for next month’s state convention.
Curt Tucker, along with executive committee member Debra Ell, stood beside Jaster as he and the then-convention chairperson verbally sparred over the rules.
“I have asked any representative not to stand next to me while I speak. The representative is not normal,” Just said.
“Sit down,” someone yelled.
“Something happened to the representative,” Just repeated.
“No, you’re not normal,” shouted another.
Al, a member of the party’s America First wing, asked Juster if he was planning to hijack the convention before eventually walking away.
“There’s no question she was trying to intimidate me,” Just said.
Soon after, Thomas Township police and other departments were called to the convention to keep the peace.
“It was kind of awkward,” Tom Roy said.
When the voting for district delegates closed, more moderate Republicans like Roy won the delegates. He resigned as vice chairman last month after he and others believed America First Wing had hijacked the party.
“People have some common sense and some sense and they’ll understand that you have to work together and bring everyone together,” Roy said of the majority elected to represent the constituency.
Those elected to the state convention are diverse, Just said.
“It’s a diverse list of people, some moderate, some establishment, some conservative, and a lot of America First,” said Just, who identifies with America First.
However, he believes he was threatened before and during the convention.
“People came up to me, tried to attack me, and made physical contact as they tried to do so, and I was not injured,” Just said.
Ell could not be reached for comment on Friday. Saginaw County Republican Chairman Kirt Tucker acknowledged there was a personality conflict, but he wanted to quell the infighting.
Thirty-seven Saginaw County delegates were selected to attend the state Republican convention.
