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Article posted on Maddock's Facebook page with photo of Rep. Bill Huizenga
Republican Steve Carra dropped out of the 4th Congressional District race in western Michigan this week after President Donald Trump rescinded his endorsement of Carra and gave it to another GOP candidate, according to the Washington Examiner.
Michigan Republican Party Co-chair Meshawn Maddock posted a copy of the article Wednesday night on Facebook with a message written on it from Trump: "Steve thanks - you have a great future."
Maddock wrote above the posting: "Just got this from POTUS, he wanted you to see it Steve Carra and I agree, you do have a GREAT future! I’ll give you the original when it comes in the mail."
Trump gave the new endorsement to Congressman Bill Huizenga, who currently serves the 2nd Congressional District. Under new district boundaries, Huizenga is running in the 4th District and would have opposed Carra in the primary.
The redrawn district goes along Lake Michigan from St. Joseph into Ottawa County and east through Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.
Carra now plans to run for re-election to the Michigan House. He told the Examiner that Maddock, a Trump loyalist, called last Friday to inform him of the change in endorsements just hours before Trump announced he backs Huizenga.
Steve Carra
Carra told the publication he understood that if he stayed in the race he might have split the votes in the GOP primary with Huizenga and given 18-term Republican incumbent Fred Upton a better shot at re-election if he chooses to run in the new 4th District.
The Examiner noted that one possibility for the change was that Huizenga will have more resources than Carra and is a more formidable opponent against Upton, who voted to impeach Trump last year. It was unclear from the article whether Maddock or someone in the Trump camp was the driving force behind the change in endorsements.
Carra says he was told there was some concern he didn't live in the redrawn district. The Constitution does not require candidates to live in the district in which they run.
When Trump endorsed Carra last September, he said: "It is my great honor to endorse Michigan State Representative Steve Carra to oppose RINO (Republican in name only) Congressman Fred Upton."
Upton was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, prompting the ex-president to target him for defeat.
In a press release in January, Upton said: "The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next. Thus, I will vote to impeach."
