HOLLAND, Mich. — Republican candidate for governor Ryan Kelley has announced a running mate, ahead of August's primary.
His choice for Lt. Governor of Michigan is Jamie Swafford, who is a Kalamazoo native with prior experience in law enforcement.
"I've spent a lot of time thinking about this, praying about this," said Kelley. "There was a lot of candidates that I was interviewing and talking to. But there was one person that really stood out to me."
Ryan Kelley welcomed Swafford to his ticket Monday, while speaking at a GOP Gubernatorial Candidate's Forum held in Holland. The event was also attended by other Republican gubernatorial candidates Ralph Rebandt, as well as representatives from Kevin Rinke and Garrett Soldano.
Out of the five GOP candidates for governor, Kelley is the first to pick a running mate.
This announcement comes after Kelley pleaded not guilty for charges related to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
FOX 17 will host a debate next week along with our E.W. Scripps Company partners WXYZ & WSYM. The debate will take place on July 20 at 7 p.m. in Detroit and feature the five GOP gubernatorial candidates running in the August Primary.
The debate will be moderated by FOX 17’s Doug Reardon, Chuck Stokes, and Elle Meyers.
You can watch the debate live on FOX 17, fox17online.com or your favorite streaming device.
