While most Michigan candidates seeking office will earn their party’s nomination through an open primary election held August 7, certain candidates for statewide offices are determined by a closed endorsement convention held by each political party. These positions include:

• Michigan Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• State Supreme Court Candidates
• State Board of Education Candidates
• Board of Regent Candidates for the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University

This year, the Michigan Republican Party will hold its state convention on August 25. The Michigan Democrats will hold their 2018 state endorsement convention four-months earlier on April 15. While Michigan’s election law provides the framework for political parties to host nominating conventions, the specific timing, rules, and process are set by each political parties’ State Committee. 

At the conventions, candidates for these offices are chosen by voting delegates. To become a delegate, you first run as a precinct delegate where you live. If you are elected precinct delegate, you are then chosen to be a state delegate at a county convention were all precinct delegates in a county can attend and vote. Each county is allotted a certain number of delegates based on population. For Michigan Republicans, there are between 2,000 to 2,500 delegates that chose the GOP candidates. Michigan Democrats have slightly different rules to be an eligible voting delegate resulting in a higher allotment of delegates, averaging between 5,000-7,000 voting delegates at their convention. You do not need to be a precinct delegate, but just member of the party in good standing.

Because these elections occur at a convention, campaigning for a party nomination is significantly different than running in an open primary. The voting delegates are typically the grassroots activists of the party which require candidates to tailor their message for those voters. You tend to see much stronger partisan messaging and candidates are driven toward the extremes of their party platforms.

While the format is different, these convention candidates run full-fledged campaigns to secure delegate votes and earn their party nomination.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.