GOP LEADERSHIP BATTLE
What goes on behind the doors of party caucus meetings in the state House and Senate usually stays there, as the saying goes. But not always. Word in the last month is that Republican Rep. Andrew Fink from Hillsdale has filed a complaint with GOP caucus chair Matt Hall of Marshall over violation of standard protocol by Matt ‘Mad Dog’ Maddock (Milford). The nature of the complaint is that Maddock ventures without advance courtesy notice into the districts of other Republican House members to meet with individuals and groups where he sometimes proceeds to criticize the hometown representative while there. No word on what the caucus chair did with the complaint. Fink is among a small group (including Maddock and Hall) contending to become House Leader after the 2022 general election, something ‘Mad Dog’ has been working on since fall of 2021, because current House Leader Jason Wentworth (R-Farwell) is term limited as of the end of this year. Although he claims to have support among Republicans, one insider labeled Maddock persona non grata already in the caucus for off-the-wall efforts during his time in the legislature. The list is endless and includes his rabid efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which may explain why former President Donald Trump is backing Maddock, spouse of state party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, for the leadership position – unprecedented for an ex-prez to get involved in a lower chamber race. Observers say the odds-on favorite among Republican members is Hall when it comes to the leadership contest, assuming the House remains Republican, of course.