Mike Shirkey

Michael J. Shirkey[1] (born December 5, 1954) is a Republican member of the Michigan State Senate and former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. He was first elected to the House in 2010 and to the Senate in 2014. His district, the 16th, covers all of Branch, Hillsdale, and Jackson Counties. As of 2020, Shirkey is the majority leader of the Michigan State Senate.[2]

Mike Shirkey
Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byArlan Meekhof
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 16th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2015
Preceded byBruce Caswell
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 65th district
In office
November 30, 2010 – December 31, 2014
Preceded byMike Simpson
Succeeded byBrett Roberts
Personal details
Born (1954-12-05) December 5, 1954
Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationKettering University (BA)
University of Wisconsin, Madison (MA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

He has a bachelor's degree from Kettering University and a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Shirkey worked for General Motors for 13 years before starting his own engineering company. Shirkey founded the Jackson-based assembly machine manufacturing company Orbitform.[3][4]

Tenure

In May 2020, Shirkey appeared onstage at an American Patriot Council rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan with William Null and Adam Fox.[5] In October 2020, William Null, his twin brother, Michael Null, Adam Fox, and 10 other men were charged in a plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. [6]

In early April 2020, Shirkey criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer for extending a "stay home" order until the end of April.[7] Shirkey opposed face mask requirements in Michigan.[8]

In November 2020, Shirkey stated that he would not attempt to appoint a slate of electors in the Electoral College that would vote for President Donald Trump, following Trump's loss in the 2020 United States presidential election.[4] Trump invited Shirkey and several of his Republican colleagues to the White House following Shirkey's statement.[4] Shirkey and several of his colleagues in the Michigan Legislature met with Trump on November 20, 2020. Shirkey and others issued a statement following the meeting in which they stated that they would "follow the normal process" of certifying the state's election results.[9]

On December 23, 2020, Shirkey tested positive for COVID-19. He believed he was exposed to the coronavirus on December 19. On December 21, Shirkey attended Lee Chatfield's farewell speech at the Michigan State Capitol.[8] Shirkey characterized his COVID-19 illness as him having fought against the "Chinese flu army"; his remarks were criticized as xenophobic.[10][11]

In April 2020, Shirkey's business, Orbitform, received $1.8 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. In January 2021, Orbitform received another $1.7 million in PPP loans, for a total of $3.5 million. During this time, Shirkey led the Michigan Senate to block allocation of $4 billion in federal COVID reliefs funds for food and rental assistance.[12] Although Shirkey claims to not be involved in the day-to-day management of his company, several of his family members (including son David Shirkey, grandson Karter Fannin, and Mark Shirkey) are employed at Orbitform in management positions.[13]

In February 2021, Shirkey falsely claimed that the storming of the U.S. Capitol was a "hoax", that it was "staged", and that supporters of Donald Trump did not carry it out.[14][15]

In a February interview with radio station WKHM, Shirkey falsely claimed that dead people voted in Michigan in the 2020 elections, a claim that has been debunked numerous times.[16][17] In 2021, Shirkey led efforts by Republicans in the Michigan Senate to restrict voting rights.[18]

In April 2021, Shirkey accepted a invitation to meet with militia leaders. During the meeting at Grand Rapids, Shirkey told the militias "We need you now more than ever to continue to train" and "to stand up and test that assertion of authority by government". The Associated Press described the event "Michigan’s GOP leadership has for the first time in memory bestowed legitimacy on its state’s militia, long relegated to the shadows" and indicative of the rightward shift of the Michigan GOP after the 2020 elections.[19]

Shirkey is ineligible for re-election in 2022.[4]

References
  1. "Michigan Committee Statement of Organization". Michigan Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. Cheney, Kyle; Montellaro, Zach (November 17, 2020). "In abrupt reversal, Michigan's largest county certifies election results". Politico. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  3. Eggert, David (July 6, 2020). "Firms tied to legislative leader, Senate candidate got loans". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. Sullivan, Eileen; Thrush, Glenn (November 19, 2020). "Mike Shirkey, a Michigan Republican who will meet with Trump, said this week he would not override Biden's victory". Peter & The Boys. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  5. Dutton, Jack. "GOP Michigan Sen. Mike Shirkey Pictured With Whitmer Kidnap Plot Suspect". Newsweek. Newsweek Digital, LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  6. DeVito, Lee. "Alleged FBI-thwarted plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer came after Trump called to 'LIBERATE MICHIGAN'". Detroit Metro Times. Euclid Media Group, LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  7. "Sen. Shirkey says Whitmer is 'killing our livelihoods' with stay-at-home extension". mlive. April 11, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. "Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey appeared in Capitol with COVID-19". MLive. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  9. Gray, Kathleen; Haberman, Maggie (November 20, 2020). "Michigan lawmakers, after meeting with Trump, reaffirm that they will honor the state's vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  10. Boucher, Dave. "Shirkey statement emblematic of 'xenophobic sentiments' criticized in White House memo". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  11. "Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey says he wrestled COVID-19 sent by 'Chinese flu army'". mlive. January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  12. Mauger, Craig. "Michigan Senate leader's business OK'd for second federal loan amid COVID aid fight". The Detroit News. The Detroit News. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  13. LinkedIn. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?currentCompany=%5B%2239407%22%5D&origin=COMPANY_PAGE_CANNED_SEARCH&sid=cCP. Retrieved October 31, 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. Boucher, Clara Hendrickson and Dave. "Shirkey falsely claims US Capitol attack was staged, not carried out by Trump supporters". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  15. Neavling, Steve. "Sen. Shirkey baselessly claims U.S. Capitol riot was 'staged' by Trump haters, recording shows". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  16. "PolitiFact - Michigan Senate GOP leader Shirkey falsely claims dead people voted". Politifact. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. Boucher, Clara Hendrickson and Dave. "Michigan Senate GOP leader Shirkey falsely claims dead people voted". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  18. Eric Bradner. "Michigan voting rights battle looms as Republicans plan to side-step Whitmer veto". CNN. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  19. "Once the mainstream model, Michigan GOP embraces right wing". AP NEWS. April 20, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.