Michigan Republicans Hold Disputed Vote to Remove Party Leader

Simmering tensions within the Michigan Republican Party boiled over on Saturday, with some party officials voting to remove their embattled chairwoman, Kristina Karamo, in a contentious proceeding that she and other state Republicans argued was illegitimate.

The showdown, which occurred at a meeting held by a breakaway faction of the state party, now appears likely to wind up in court.

The effort to oust Ms. Karamo, who was not present for the meeting, is the latest clash in a party that has been marred by infighting and financial difficulties since Ms. Karamo took control of it in February, and is likely to further hamper Republican efforts in the critical swing state during the 2024 election cycle.

Ms. Karamo was part of a cohort of far-right activists who ascended to the top of state parties as former President Donald J. Trump and his grass-roots supporters raged against his 2020 election defeat.

The effort to remove her could signal a fraying of the loose coalition of conservative activists, who have been motivated by conspiracy theories about the electoral process and their unwavering support of Mr. Trump. Several county chairs who pushed for Ms. Karamo’s dismissal remain staunch supporters of the former president and of the false idea that the 2020 election was stolen.

Roughly 71 of the party’s 107 state committee members (including some who were represented by a proxy) attended the meeting in Commerce, Mich., on the outskirts of the Detroit suburbs, according to Bree Moeggenberg, a state party committee member and an organizer of the effort to oust Ms. Karamo.

Those involved in the effort first voted to change the bylaws to lower the threshold necessary to remove the chair. In the final vote, 88 percent voted to remove