Over 100 attend Trump rally.

Former State Representative Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo), who is seeking election to the Michigan Senate in 2018, speaks during a Michigan Trump Republicans rally in Hesperia Monday evening, Aug. 21. Contributed photo.

Over 100 attend Trump rally.

#OceanaCountyNews

By Allison Scarbrough. Editor.

HESPERIA — Over 100 supporters attended a Michigan Trump Republicans rally Monday evening, Aug. 21, at the Yoberosa Lodge, according to Diane Schindlbeck, co-founder of the organization.

“We want to help deliver President Trump’s message to our Michiganders,” Schindlbeck said. “We are combatting fake news and delivering his message.”

“We got our candidate elected, and the opposition didn’t stop. We asked, what can we do to defend the man we worked so hard to get elected?”

Michigan Trump Republicans Co-Founder Meshawn Maddock, Yoberosa Lodge Owner Chuck Yob, Michigan Trump Republicans Co-Founder Diane Schindlbeck and Republican Delegate Heather Cerone. Contributed photo.

Schindlbeck and Meshawn Maddock co-founded Michigan Trump Republicans, she said. They were both co-chairs for the Trump campaign in Michigan and served as national delegates.

“We didn’t want to stop protecting him,” she said. “We’re trying to show that the support is here and combat the fake impression that it’s not.”

The rallies also serve as an opportunity for Republican candidates in the 2018 election to get their messages out, she said. Many of the speakers at the rallies are seeking election.

Former Michigan Rep. Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo), who is a candidate for the Michigan Senate, spoke during the event. Bumstead is seeking the 34th District seat currently held by Goeff Hansen (R-Hart), who cannot seek re-election due to term limits. The 34th District includes Oceana, Newaygo and Muskegon counties.

Contributed photo.

Former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and current member of the Republican National Committee, David Agema, also served as guest speaker during the Hesperia event. Agema, who is a potential candidate for governor, is the chairman of the Top Gun Republican political action committee. Governor Rick Snyder has been term-limited and cannot seek re-election.

“Our goal is to hit every county throughout the state,” she said. The group is making two or three stops per week in Michigan. A rally a few weeks ago in Muskegon drew 221 supporters, she said.

Although some of the rallies have been met with opposition, the Hesperia rally did not draw any protestors, Schindlbeck said. However, anti-Trump posters containing “foul language” were stapled all over a bridge near the entrance to the lodge property, she said. “They must have done that the night before or the morning of the event.”

Shindlbeck said she always contacts local police prior to a rally in case there is any trouble. “I gave the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Office a heads-up.”

Overall, the Hesperia rally was a “very well-attended” event, she added.

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