Michigan Republicans are back on Mackinac Island this weekend, but don’t mistake their biennial pilgrimage for a show of strength.

This year’s Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference is a far cry from what it once was. Gone are the days when presidential candidates made their case before a who’s who of donors, party leaders and activists. What remains is a hollow shell that exposes the party’s weakness, even after President Donald Trump won in 2024 and Republicans reclaimed the state House.

No marquee names. No national buzz. No after-dinner keynotes in the Grand Hotel’s storied main dining room because the Michigan Republican Party couldn’t pull off a buyout of the 138-year-old landmark hotel. (As of this writing, rooms for Saturday night were still available.)

Chairman Jim Runestad,

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