Trump-endorsed candidates emerge victorious in Michigan GOP convention

Thousands of Michigan GOP leaders gathered in Grand Rapids on Saturday to decide which candidates will make it onto November's ballot, delivering two victories for former President Donald Trump in a major test for his hold over the state party.

Both Trump-endorsed candidates, Kristina Karamo for secretary of state and Matt DePerno for attorney general were endorsed by Michigan Republicans in two of the most closely watched races of the weekend.

Trump made his presence known in the state, endorsing candidates up and down the ballot, mainly focusing on whether or not they believe his baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

DePerno, a lawyer, filed suit seeking to audit the 2020 election results in Antrim County; however, those efforts were dismissed by a Michigan court Thursday. Karamo was part of the Supreme Court lawsuit that was eventually rejected seeking to overturn the 2020 results after claiming she personally witnessed election fraud in Detroit.

Karamo sailed to victory Saturday earning 67% of the vote among delegates, according to preliminary results. She will now face incumbent Jocelyn Benson in the general election.

Things weren't as clear in the attorney general race. No candidate cleared the 50% of votes needed, sending the race into a second vote where DePerno emerged triumphant. He faces a general election battle against Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel.

Trump chimed in on Saturday's event, vowing to fight for both candidates during the general election and doubling down on his false claims the 2020 Election was fraudulent. "Michigan is one of the worst on Election Fraud and corruption, and they will put an end to it. At the same time, they’ll get to the bottom of the 2020 Election Fraud," he said in a statement.

Trump has also endorsed 10 candidates for seats in the state legislature.

The success of Karamo and DePerno are part of a broader national trend of election-denying candidates seeking top posts in battleground states. If these candidates are successfully elected, they will be directly involved with validating the results of future elections.

"It's true that any past party president, you know, would be a very influential endorsement," Matt Grossmann, a political science professor at Michigan State University, told ABC News. "What is not routine at all is that the president is making a decision on the basis of people's views of whether the last election was stolen or not."

Some in the party have signaled they want to shift away from focusing on 2020. On April 11, Michigan counties held conventions to choose the delegates who will represent them at this week's state convention. In Macomb County, people were seen on video shouting over each other and trading insults. The night ended with a vote removing the county party chairman and staunch supporter of the former president, Mark Forton.

Amid the infighting among the two wings of the party, Portela says Saturday's decision was ultimately determined by who has the best chances of winning in the midterms.

"Voters showed up to make their voices heard and they want change at the top. That change starts this November by electing Republicans up and down the ballot," he said.

In Michigan, party delegates nominate candidates for most statewide offices at party conventions rather than holding primaries. The party will formally nominate those candidates in August.

This is the earliest Michigan Republicans have ever held the convention as the party looks to maximize its chances of flipping seats in the battleground state. Trump lost Michigan in 2020 by about 150,000 votes.

"These candidates need the time really to make the case as to why you should be elected," Gustavo Portela, communications director for the Michigan Republican Party, told ABC News. "It also gives the party an opportunity to back them financially."