In 2022, Perry Johnson was removed from the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot after the Michigan Bureau of Elections determined that more than 9,000 of his petition signatures were invalid, leaving him below the 15,000 requirement to qualify. Petition circulators tied to Johnson’s campaign were accused of forging signatures, and Democrats accused Johnson of attempting to cover up evidence of the fraud. Perry Johnson had claimed he submitted nearly 23,000 signatures and that more than 15,000 were valid.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said it was “incumbent on that candidate to make some level of inquiry” on whether submitted petition signatures were fraudulent. The Detroit News Editorial agreed that it “remains on the candidates who decided to submit the signatures.” The Michigan Bureau of Elections and Michigan Board of State Canvassers said they were “confident” the signatures were fraudulent and said there was “nothing to suggest that there are valid signatures in there.”
Perry Johnson filed a lawsuit asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to restore his access to the Republican primary ballot, but a three-judge panel unanimously rejected his appeal. Perry Johnson appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court in a final attempt to restore his ballot access, but the court declined to take up his case.
2022: Perry Johnson Was Removed From The Republican Gubernatorial Primary Ballot After The Bureau Of Elections Determined 9,000 Petition Signatures Were Fraudulent. According to A.T. Thomas from The Left Is Right, “In 2022, Johnson tried to become the Republican candidate for the governor of Michigan. The Bureau of Elections kicked him off the primary ballot because 9,000 of the signatures on his candidacy petition were fraudulent. Apparently being caught cheating hasn’t deterred him from trying to run for governor again now.” [A.T. Thomas, The Left Is Right – Medium, 2/8/26]
April 19, 2022: Perry Johnson Submitted Nearly 23,000 Ballot Access Petition Signatures, More Than The 15,000 Required Signatures. According to Bridge Michigan, “Kelley, an Allendale Township activist known for organizing protests against Whitmer’s COVID-19 orders in 2020, had already filed petitions but was on hand to submit more signatures, bringing his tally to around 20,200. Johnson was dropping off his full batch of nearly 23,000 signatures, well above the 15,000 needed to make the ballot.” [Bridge Michigan, 4/19/22]
April 20, 2022: Perry Johnson Was The Last Gubernatorial Candidate To Submit Nominating Petitions AndExpressed Confidence He Would Win The Primary. According to Michigan Radio, “Kelley recently flew down to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for a fundraiser also attended by fellow candidates like self-described quality guru Perry Johnson and pastor Ralph Rebandt. Johnson was the last of the candidates to submit his nominating petition. He told reporters that was on purpose. ‘In the end, we think we’re going to win. So, I’m going to be here talking to all of you in the end. So, why not have an opportunity at the end for everybody see what Michigan is going to have in the future,’ Johnson said.” [Michigan Radio, 4/20/22]
April 2022: The Michigan Democratic Party Challenged Perry Johnson’s Ballot Access Petitions Due To “Extensive Irregularities,” Including Signatures From Dead People, Forgery, And Duplicate Signatures. According to Detroit News, “In a separate Democratic Party-backed challenge against Johnson's petitions, Steven Liedel, an attorney with the firm Dykema, said a ‘thorough canvass’ of the signatures was warranted because of ‘extensive irregularities.’ Johnson of Bloomfield Hills had submitted about 22,700 signatures. The irregularities included signatures from dead people, apparent forgeries, extensive signature errors, a high number of duplicate signatures and numerous address and jurisdictional issues, Liedel's complaint said.” [Detroit News, 4/27/22]
2022: Democrats Alleged Six Of Eight Circulators Accused Of Forging Signatures On James Craig’s Petitions Also Collected Signatures For Perry Johnson. According to Bridge Michigan, “In a separate challenge, Democrats alleged that six of the ‘James gang’ circulators identified by Brewer also collected signatures for Johnson, the wealthy metro Detroit ‘quality guru’ who has put millions of his own money into the gubernatorial race but was the last candidate to file petitions.” [Bridge Michigan, 5/5/22]
2022: Mark Brewer, Former Chair Of The Michigan Democratic Party, Accused Perry Johnson Of Trying To “Cover Up Forgery” And Avoiding “Overwhelming Evidence.” According to Bridge Michigan, “Brewer, former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, accused both Craig and Johnson of trying to ‘cover up forgery.’ ‘They’re desperately trying to avoid the overwhelming evidence,’ Brewer said.” [Bridge Michigan, 5/11/22]
2022: Attorney General Dana Nessel Said It Was “Incumbent On That Candidate To Make Some Level Of Inquiry As To Whether The Signatures They Are Submitting Are Fraudulent Or Not.” According to WXYZ, “[Nessel] says it is not clear who is responsible for the apparently fraudulent signatures. She says two questions are: should candidates have known and, potentially, did they know? ‘If you are running for a statewide office for something as important as the Office of Governor, I do think it is incumbent on that candidate to make some level of inquiry as to whether the signatures they are submitting are fraudulent or not,’ said Nessel.” [WXYZ, 5/24/22]
May 2022: The Michigan Bureau Of Elections Found That Perry Johnson Did Not Submit Enough Valid Petition Signatures To Make The Ballot. According to Detroit News, “Former Detroit police Chief James Craig and businessman Perry Johnson, two of the top candidates for the Republican nomination for governor, didn't submit enough valid petition signatures to make the ballot, according to findings from the Michigan Bureau of Elections.” [Detroit News, 5/23/22]
May 2022: The Michigan Bureau Of Elections Found That 9,393 Of Perry Johnson’s Signatures Were Invalid. According to Detroit News, “As for Johnson, the bureau identified 9,393 invalid signatures and 13,800 facially valid signatures, dropping him below the 15,000 threshold and rendering ‘him ineligible for the ballot.’” [Detroit News, 5/23/22]
May 2022: The Michigan Bureau Of Elections Determined Perry Johnson Had 13,800 Valid Signatures, Below The 15,000 Threshold For Ballot Access. According to Detroit News, “As for Johnson, the bureau identified 9,393 invalid signatures and 13,800 facially valid signatures, dropping him below the 15,000 threshold and rendering ‘him ineligible for the ballot.’” [Detroit News, 5/23/22]
May 2022: Perry Johnson Maintained That He Was A Victim Of Fraud, Not A Responsible Party. According to Detroit Free Press, “Regardless of what the board decides, criminal investigations and possible charges against certain signature collectors are possible, according to the reports. Craig, Johnson and other affected candidates have said they are victims of fraud, not perpetrators. The bureau does not currently ‘have reason to believe that any specific candidates or campaigns were aware of the activities of fraudulent-petition circulators,’ according to the staff reports.” [Detroit Free Press, 5/23/22]
May 2022: Detroit News Editorial: Responsibility For Forged Petition Signatures “Remains On The Candidates Who Decided To Submit The Signatures.” According to an editorial from the Detroit News, “With the Board of State Canvassers meeting Thursday to decide whether to boot the GOP front-runners former Detroit police Chief James Craig and Perry Johnson off the ballot, it's a good time to examine whether the signature process is fair to those looking to become governor and for the residents who want them. Ultimately, however, the responsibility remains on the candidates who decided to submit the signatures.” [Editorial – Detroit News, 5/25/22]
May 2022: The Michigan Board Of State Canvassers Voted On Party Lines To Keep Perry Johnson Off The August 2 Republican Primary Ballot Due To Lack Of Sufficient Petitions And Signature Forgery. According to Detroit News, “Michigan's Board of State Canvassers deadlocked 2-2 Thursday, keeping, for now, five GOP candidates for governor who were entangled in an alleged wave of petition forgeries off the August primary ballot. The elections board's votes mean the candidates, including former Detroit police Chief James Craig and self-funding businessman Perry Johnson, will have to take their push to get their names on the Aug. 2 ballot to court.” [Detroit News, 5/26/22]
May 2022: Michigan Bureau Of Elections Director Jonathan Brater Said He Was “Confident” That Signatures Were Fraudulent And Said There Was “Nothing To Suggest That There Are Valid Signatures In There.” According to Detroit News, “But Jonathan Brater, Michigan's elections director, said the state Bureau of Elections was ‘confident’ the thousands of signatures in question were fraudulent. And Brater said none of the campaigns had identified specific valid signatures to refute the forgery claims. ‘There is nothing to suggest that there are valid signatures in there,’ Brater told the board.” [Detroit News, 5/26/22]
May 2022: Perry Johnson Filed A Lawsuit With The Michigan Court Of Appeals To Reverse The Board Of State Canvassers’ Decision To Keep Johnson Off The Ballot. According to Associated Press, “Business owner Perry Johnson filed a lawsuit Friday to try to get on Michigan’s August primary ballot, the first of many likely legal challenges after five Republican candidates for governor were barred because of too few valid petition signatures. Johnson asked the state Court of Appeals to intervene and order the Board of State Canvassers to put him on the ballot.” [Associated Press, 5/27/22]
May 2022: Perry Johnson’s Attorneys Argued The State “Failed To Provide Specific Evidence That Less Than 15,000 Of The Signatures On Mr. Johnson’s Petition Were Valid And Genuine.” According to Bridge Michigan, “Attorneys for Johnson contend the Michigan Bureau of Elections should have double-checked the validity of every allegedly forged signature by comparing each against versions stored in a database known as the Qualified Voter File. The state ‘failed to provide specific evidence that less than 15,000 of the signatures on Mr. Johnson's petition were valid and genuine,’ attorneys Jonathan Koch and Jason Torchinsky wrote in the Friday complaint.” [Bridge Michigan, 5/27/22]
June 2022: The Michigan Court Of Appeals Three-Judge Panel Unanimously Rejected Johnson’s Appeal To Remain On Republican Primary Ballot. According to Detroit News, “The Michigan Court of Appeals rejected Wednesday a lawsuit from Republican businessman Perry Johnson, who asked the judges to revive his campaign for governor by giving him a spot on the August primary ballot. The unanimous decision from a three-judge panel marked a significant setback for five GOP candidates for governor who were caught in an alleged wave of fraudulent petition signatures.” [Detroit News, 6/1/22]
June 2022: Perry Johnson Appealed His Case To The Michigan Supreme Court And Asked Justices For An Order That Would Place Him Back On The Ballot. According to Bridge Michigan, “Fellow candidate Perry Johnson, the biggest spender in the race, lost a similar lawsuit Wednesday. On Thursday, he appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court, asking justices for an order that would force him back on the ballot.” [Bridge Michigan, 6/2/22]
June 2022: The Michigan Supreme Court Declined To Take Up Johnson’s Appeal Of Lower Court Rulings Denying His Request To Be Placed On The Ballot. According to Detroit Free Press, “The Michigan Supreme Court dealt a fatal blow to GOP gubernatorial candidates' last-ditch attempts to land a spot on the August primary ballot after a signature forgery scandal brought their campaigns to an end. The court declined to take up appeals from former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson and Grand Haven financial adviser Michael Markey, who sought to reverse lower court rulings denying their requests for placement on the ballot.” [Detroit Free Press, 6/3/22]