President Donald Trump’s allies are reportedly irate that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has decided to wade into Michigan’s Senate primary in support of a challenger to the establishment candidate.
According to an invitation obtained by Politico, Duffy is headlining a June 4 fundraiser for Rep. Bill Huizenga, a move that clashes with the plans of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Trump 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita to run former Rep. Mike Rogers.
A person familiar with the matter told the outlet that Duffy has also been advising Huizenga on the race.
Trump’s top political advisers are fuming at Duffy because he never cleared his political activism with the White House, two people close to the president said. Politico reported that the transportation secretary’s involvement in the Michigan race has led to threats of a crackdown on the political activities of Cabinet secretaries ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“He did not ask for it to be approved,” one of the outlet’s sources, who was granted anonymity, said. “It would not have been approved. They are old friends and it’s technically for the House so not going to embarrass him by standing it down, but the fact is administration officials are not free agents politically, even in their spare time. You never get ahead of the president.”
Huizenga has reportedly told others that a second Cabinet official could fundraise for him, but one of the people familiar with Trump’s thinking told Politico that would not be permitted.
While the Michigan Senate contest is arguably the GOP’s best shot at increasing its majority in the upper chamber, Trump has not yet decided on whom to endorse in the race, two of the outlet’s sources said.
The national Republican establishment has started to get behind Rogers as the nominee, as the former Trump critic makes a second run for the Senate seat. Reposting a poll on X showing Rogers faring better than Huizenga against potential Democrat opponents, NRSC political director Brendan Jaspers said Wednesday that “the numbers point to one candidate.”
Still, Huizenga has been making moves toward a run, reportedly meeting with Michigan strategists and elected officials, and cozying up to well-known national donors.
“I want to make sure we win,” Huizenga told Politico, adding that he could announce a Senate bid by the end of summer. “The question is: Are we going to run the same play and expect a different result?”
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