Country First Announces Operation Primary First in Michigan
WASHINGTON, DC – In a highly contentious primary season, Congressman Adam Kinzinger announced operation Primary First, a Country First initiative, in the State of Michigan.
"There is a movement in Michigan from the MAGA crowd to take over the state legislature, and it is their number one target right now. And if Country First doesn't stop them, they'll basically be able to throw out the will of the people. So, we are engaging in very targeted areas with the hope of making a big impact. We want Michigan to stand as a bulwark against the forces waging war on democracy," said Kinzinger.
Primary First is a first-of-its-kind primary election initiative to take on and take out the most toxic partisans who are pushing the "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was stolen and undermining democracy. Primary First encourages Democrats, Independents, and disaffected Republicans to participate in the Republican primaries in order to defeat toxic candidates before they are even on the November ballot.
Country First has invested $250,000 in Michigan, conducting voter education in six targeted state house races and three state senate seats. Through multiple rounds of direct mail (hitting over 260,000 households), text messages, digital ads, and volunteers on the ground, Country First is letting voters know there are toxic partisan/extreme candidates in the race, and how to defeat them. These extreme candidates may be Trump endorsed, January 6th sympathizers, and/or promoters of the Big Lie.
Primary First has proven successful in other states during the 2022 primary season. While talking to Country First Members, Kinzinger said:
"We’ve engaged against Madison Cawthorn successfully, we’ve engaged on behalf of Brad Raffensberger. We don’t endorse candidates. Our focus is: If you have a candidate who really doesn’t believe in democracy or believes the election was stolen, or at least is willing to tell people they believe the election is stolen, that is someone you should vote against. Madison Cawthorn lost by 1,500 votes and we were able to help turn out 5,400 democrats. [Brad] Raffensberger won and was able to avoid a runoff by 27,000 votes. We helped turn out 37,000 Democrats.”
Founded after the vicious attack on the United States Capitol on January 6th, Country First has dedicated itself to repairing democracy, finding proven solutions, and mending division. As one of the fastest growing civic and political organizations, Country First has includes members from across the political spectrum, including those who do not identify with any of America's political parties. Nearly 200,000 people have joined the movement since its inception in early 2021 with numbers rapidly increasing every day.