Meijer withdraws from U.S. Senate race in Michigan

Former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer withdrew from the Republican primary contest for U.S. Senate in Michigan on Friday, narrowing the field just days after he filed paperwork to get onto the ballot.

Meijer in a Friday evening statement thanked his supporters and said the "hard reality" is the fundamentals of the race had changed "significantly" since he launched his campaign six months ago.

"After prayerful consideration, today I withdrew my name from the primary ballot," Meijer said. "Without a strong pathway to victory, continuing this campaign only increases the likelihood of a diverse primary that would distract from the essential goal ― conservative victories in November."

The unofficial list of candidates on the Michigan Secretary of State's website reflected the development late Friday afternoon, and a spokeswoman for the office confirmed that Meijer had pulled out.

Meijer, a one-term congressman, Iraq War veteran and scion to the Meijer supermarket chain, joined the GOP primary race in early November with a widely recognized Michigan name, fundraising know-how and the potential to appeal to swing voters.

GOP strategists at the time, however, questioned his ability to win the primary election if former President Donald Trump decided to weigh in. Meijer, 36, had lost reelection to a Trump-backed challenger in 2022 after facing blowback from Republicans for voting to impeach the former president over the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

More:Meijer vows to 'call balls and strikes' on Trump, who looms large in primary

Trump endorsed in the race last month, getting behind the bid of former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Brighton, the former House intelligence committee chairman. Also running are former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Cascade Township, whom Meijer succeeded in Congress, and Grosse Pointe businessman Sandy Pensler.

Meijer was behind some of his opponents in fundraising last quarter. He had reported $314,734 in receipts for the first three months of the year, including $80,000 he gave his campaign. But he also spent more than he brought in, about $460,260, and finished the quarter with $243,967 in cash on hand. Meijer also had donated $3,300 from his leadership PAC called Ginger PAC to his campaign.

Rogers had $1.38 million cash on hand as of March 31, and the self-funding Pensler had $2.1 million in the bank. Amash ended the quarter with over $740,230 in cash reserves. Sherry O'Donnell of Stevensville also filed to get on the GOP ballot.

The candidates are competing for the open seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, who decided against seeking another six-year term.

On the Democratic side, three-term U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly is running, as well as actor and author Hill Harper of Detroit and businessman Nasser Beydoun of Dearborn.

Also dropping a bid Friday was Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, who was running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. House in the competitive 8th District, where U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, is retiring.

"I heard from a lot of people who said they did not want to lose me as mayor. They urged me to stay in Flint and to continue to fight for our community in City Hall," Neeley said in a statement. "Those feelings have resonated with me, and have persuaded me that there is still a lot I want to accomplish here at home."

He also claimed that the state Democratic Party had "shut out" Black or minority candidates who had sought to compete for the party's nomination in the district.

"Party leaders made it clear that they planned to stack the deck in favor of their preferred candidate. In doing this, they made it challenging for other candidates to compete," Neeley said.

"Perhaps even worse, they outright ignored the strong list of minority candidates in the race and discounted the qualities they have to offer. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this in Michigan."

Also running for the Democratic nomination in that swing district are state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City; former Flint Mayor Matt Collier; and State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh of Saginaw.

The Republican contenders include Paul Junge of Grand Blanc Township, retired Dow executive Mary Draves of Midland, State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder of Goodrich and small business owner Anthony Hudson of Grand Blanc Township.

mburke@detroitnews.com