Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The chair of the Livingston County Republican Party has resigned.

Chair Jennifer Smith made the announcement on a podcast, citing harassment from Republicans. She provided the following statement to WHMI:

“The only additional comment that I will make concerning the situation is that when I would not agree to publish a statement taking a position against Kristina Karamo, the Michigan Republican chairwoman, I have been attacked from within from that point forward. My decision was based solely on the fact that only people very close to me know my daily routine and schedule and this information was revealed to outside sources that showed up to my son's Sports practice facility to harass me. Additionally, this is one of many too close for comfort situations where my family has been exposed, and put in a precarious situation.”

The party appears to be plagued by drama and in-fighting as of late.

Both Executive Director Jessica Barefield and Vice Chair Sean Carleton resigned in early January citing Smith as the reason.
Barefield stated they have a massive unity problem and do not have adequate volunteers or support. She said “Regrettably, my dedication to making a meaningful impact has been tested, in my opinion, by the improprieties, unethical behavior, and personal threats that have persisted under the leadership of Chairwoman Jennifer Smith. Additionally, it has been my observation, Chairwoman Smith has created an environment of deception, character assassination, and lies that has hindered my ability to utilize my skills in a healthy and productive manner and has created obstacles where I can no longer operate in my position effectively”.

Smith’s resignation is effective this Thursday, the same day the Executive Committee is scheduled to meet.

Smith was among parents protesting mask mandates, quarantines, and other protocols in Brighton Area Schools during the pandemic – hurling comments at meetings some viewed as inappropriate and threatening. She also launched lawsuits against some board members, which never went anywhere.

Smith further headed up a local Moms For Liberty group – which is categorized as a right-wing, anti-government extremist group per the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group advocates against school curricula involving LGBT rights, race and ethnicity, critical race theory, and discrimination. Many chapters also campaign to ban books involving sexuality and gender from libraries.

Executive Committee Member Rob Rodriguez-Pelizzari sent out a letter to committee members calling for Smith’s removal as chair that listed 89 moral, ethical, and operational issues as well as professionalism failures. He stated while one issue can be dismissed and two can be questioned, the “sheer number of issues cannot be dismissed or ignored”. That letter was published by The Livingston Post and a link is provided.

Some items listed include: poor relations with neighboring parties, gossip/hearsay and telling unsubstantiated stories about other people, no strategic planning, no operational plans, no fundraising goals, bullying with cyber and verbal backlash, messages to board members chastising them for questioning actions taken by the chair, bounced checks, no meeting continuity, and no consistent meeting schedule.

Smith is pictured middle with Karamo and Executive Committee member Dan Wholihan.