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IRON MOUNTAIN -- State Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain, has announced his intent to run for Michigan Secretary of State in 2022.
Should the campaign be successful, LaFave would be the fourth Republican to hold the office since 1995. Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, was elected in November 2018 and is the first Democrat to hold the office since Richard Austin's tenure from 1971 to 1995.
LaFave announced his candidacy in Facebook and Twitter posts Monday morning.
"I am running for Secretary of State!" LaFave said on Twitter. "Enough is enough! Our current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson would continue making the 10,000,000 People of Michigan wait weeks and months to see her staff at local offices… AFTER booking an appointment online. It is unacceptable.
"This, and many other issues we will discuss over the next 13 months, is why I'm running to Open the Offices and Restore Integrity to the SOS."
LaFave currently represents Michigan's 108th District, which covers Delta, Dickinson and Menominee counties.
He was first elected to the seat in 2016, defeating Democratic candidate Scott Celello with 52.74% of the vote.
LaFave was reelected in 2018, beating out Democrat Bob Romps with 61.64% of the vote. LaFave won a third and final term in the 2020 election cycle, defeating Democrat Renee Richer with 64.21% of the vote. Members of the House are limited to three terms of two years.
LaFave joins Kristina Karamo as the second Republican to join next year's race. Karamo, an educator originally from Oak Park, has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and has been an advocate for election integrity and in-person SOS services. According to a report from The Associated Press, Karamo backed a Texas lawsuit that unsuccessfully tried to prevent Michigan and three other states from casting their electoral votes for President Joe Biden and to have state legislatures vote on certification.
LaFave has been critical of Benson's handling of local SOS branches throughout the pandemic. Benson has encouraged Michiganders to use online SOS services while walk-in appointments remain halted. He also criticized Benson's decision to ban Michiganders from openly carrying guns at or near polling sites during last year's general election, calling it both "appalling" and "fearmongering," according to an AP report.
"I'm really upset with the current administration, with the current SOS," LaFave told The Mining Journal.
"There's been a lack of understanding of the need to have the offices open to the public and to be able to accommodate people in-person to get the business done that they have to. (Jocelyn) Benson said that (residents) like the new system better and they don't need to be able to have walk-ins, and I fundamentally disagree with her.
"You have to go online to get an appointment. If you don't have access to the internet or aren't tech savvy enough to do that, a lot of people aren't able to get the business done that they need to."
LaFave said that there's a backlog of residents waiting for SOS services.
"A backlog exists," he said. "People are months out for appointments. (Benson's) plan was to keep (the system) as appointment-only forever. That's not the way to fix the problem. Folks need to be able to go in, know (the SOS) is going to open, know that there may be a wait until the backlog is settled, but eventually, they will be served in-person. A common legislative solution to help alleviate the backlog and limit folks' need to go to the SOS I think would be a good thing."
In order to appear on next year's ballot, LaFave will need to secure the nomination through Republican conventions next year.
In addition to representing the 108th District, LaFave also serves as the chair of the House's Military, Veterans and Homeland Security Committee and serves as the vice chair of the Judiciary Committee.
LaFave said it's been too long since someone from the Upper Peninsula has run for such a position.
"It's been a long time since someone from the U.P. has sought an executive office in the state of Michigan," he said. "Obviously, I will represent both peninsulas, but I still come home to Iron Mountain every weekend. I work in Lansing, but my home will always be the U.P.
"If it takes a Yooper to get the Secretary of State offices open, "I guess that's what it's going to take."
Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.