Opponents allege James Craig turned in dead voter signatures to get name on gubernatorial ballot

Opponents of James Craig, who is running for governor of Michigan as a Republican, allege he submitted forged signatures to get on the ballot.

The former Detroit police chief said he collected more than the needed 15,000 signatures to qualify, but others filed a 200-page document alleging fraud with 7,000 of those signatures.

"We had signatures from dead voters on here. The only way a dead voter's signature gets on a petition is through forgery," said Scott Brewer, the former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party.

Brewer claims that signatures were compared signatures from 2020.

"They don't match at all," he said. "It's massive. It's pervasive. It affects we believe at least 7,000 signatures, if not more, and that's more than enough to knock him off the ballot."

Craig's campaign filed a rebuttal to the allegations through an attorney from Missouri. 

"I'm just stunned. There's plenty of fine Michigan election lawyers, but obviously, I guess obviously, none of them are willing to defend this forgery," Brewer said.

Craig's campaign said, "We are confident the process will show we’ve met the requirements to be on the ballot and this was a malicious, coordinated attack on Chief Craig because both Democrats and Republican opponents are scared that he is already leading the race. We are full steam ahead." 

Brewer read that rebuttal.

"'Well, if there was fraud and forgery, ya know, Craig was a victim.' No, he's not a victim. It's his job to supervise the people who work for him, and at best this shows a lack of supervision and negligence by him," Brewer said. "If he had knowledge of this then he is fully culpable."

Brewer says that he and others aren't out to get Craig.

"No, what we are doing is enforcing the law, which is something that a former police chief should understand more than anybody else. He is not above the law," Brewer said. "The honorable thing for him to do would be to withdraw."