Trump barely mentioned at Michigan GOP nominating convention

Key Points:

• Michigan Republicans presented a unified strategy at their Aug. 22 nominating convention, criticizing Democrats for failing to improve education, roads, electricity reliability, and auto insurance affordability during their recent control of state government.
• The GOP candidates largely avoided mentioning former President Donald Trump in their speeches, despite his encouragement for voters to "pretend" he is on the ballot to boost Republican turnout; only House Speaker Matt Hall referenced Trump multiple times.
• Republican nominee for lieutenant governor Jay DeBoyer and gubernatorial candidate John James focused their attacks on Democratic policies and candidates, with James condemning Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as an extremist.
• Michigan Democrats responded by accusing James and DeBoyer of protecting pedophiles, citing DeBoyer's refusal to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's connections and James's failure to support releasing Epstein files.
• State GOP Chairman Jim Runestad emphasized focusing on state issues like education and infrastructure rather than national politics, explaining the absence of Trump and other national topics in the convention speeches.