Michigan GOP governor hopefuls off ballot, court fight next

Two of the leading candidates for the GOP nomination for Michigan governor will ask the courts to intervene after they were found ineligible for the August primary.

Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who has led in primary polling, and businessman Perry Johnson, along with three other lesser-known candidates, did not qualify for the ballot.

Craig called Thursday’s party-line decision by the bipartisan Board of State Canvassers a “travesty” and said he will file an immediate appeal in court.

The state elections bureau said Monday it found thousands of forged or fraudulent signatures on petitions the candidates submitted.

The board’s vote Thursday reshapes the race to take on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the battleground state this fall.