Michigan’s Republican Senate Campaign for John James Alleges Election Interference

Michigan’s Republican Senate Campaign for John James Alleges Election Interference
John James, the Republican's Michigan U.S. Senate candidate, speaks to a media outlet during an interview in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 7, 2018. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Masooma Haq
11/5/2020
Updated:
11/5/2020

The Michigan Senate campaign of Republican John James has accused local election officials of impropriety, voter suppression, and election interference, in the process to determine who won Michigan’s Senate race.

Stuart Sandler, a consultant for James’s campaign who was on the ground, told Fox News that he was concerned about there being “a lot of irregularities.” He said James’s win seemed definitive until ballots started streaming in during the middle of the night.

“There were all kinds of chicanery, including ballots that came in reportedly in the middle of the night at 3:30 a.m.—35,000 ballots that were deceptively brought in,” Sandler said. “There have been a lot of irregularities and a lack of integrity. They’re not letting challengers in; they’re not letting them get food or water. When they do, they’re not letting them come back. There are all sorts of disruptions to the process.”

James said in a statement released Thursday that “fair elections are at the foundation of a representative democracy.”

James said he is deeply concerned that Michigan voters may have been disenfranchised “by a dishonest few who cheat,” adding: “When this process is complete, I will of course accept the results and the will of the people, but at this time there is enough credible evidence to warrant an investigation to ensure that elections were conducted in a transparent, legal and fair manner.”

Sandler alleged that Mark Brewer, a former state Democratic chairman, after seeing James’s lead, organized the arrival of dozens of lawyers and activists to the TCF Center in Detroit in order to “disrupt the process.”

“There’s a lack of integrity there,” Sandler said. “The people of Michigan made their choice and they’ve been trying to disrupt the process. And we’re reviewing our options.”

Brewer denied those claims. He told The Epoch Times that although he was present at the TFC Center as a challenger, “Sandler’s claims are completely false” and he did not bring people to the center to disrupt the process.

Former State Sen. Patrick Colbeck, who is a registered poll watcher and was at the TCF Center on Wednesday, told Fox News that what he observed was “obfuscation and a complete lack of transparency.”

“We’re being expressly denied the access to the ballot count area, at the most critical time. And you know, it’s very telling,” Colbeck said. “I can tell you right now, it’s not a free and fair election, and I’ve been watching this for quite a while. So, get the word out. [Democrats] are attempting to steal the election, and the best way to go off and fight back on this is to let people know what’s happening.”

The Michigan Secretary of State’s office did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment on the allegations made by Colbeck.

Election desks declared incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) the winner, with 49.9 percent of the vote on Wednesday, having apparently pushed out his opponent James, an Iraq War veteran and businessman, by just over 70,000 votes.
Masooma Haq began reporting for The Epoch Times from Pakistan in 2008. She currently covers a variety of topics including U.S. government, culture, and entertainment.
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