Kristina Karamo (born 1985 or 1986) is an American politician and former poll watcher who served as the chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party from 2023 to 2024.
Karamo was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2022 Michigan Secretary of State election, losing to incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson in a landslide.
[1] Karamo is a staunch proponent of many debunked conspiracy theories, including the false claim that Donald Trump won Michigan (and the national presidential election) in 2020.
[3][12] Karamo lost to incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson by 14 percentage points, the largest margin of defeat for any statewide Republican candidate that year, but she refused to concede the election.
[13] In March 2023, Karamo faced widespread criticism and condemnation for defending a social media post by the Michigan Republican Party which compared recent gun control bills passed by the legislature to the Holocaust.
[16] Several prominent Michigan GOP officeholders and officials, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and numerous others have condemned the comparison and Karamo’s defense of the post.
The group of state committee members acknowledged Malinda Pego, who served as co-chair under Karamo, as Acting Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party until a vote for an official replacement is held.
Meanwhile, Kristina Karamo repeatedly stated that she didn't recognize the vote and was therefore still chairwoman, as she claimed that the meeting was setup against the bylaws of the Michigan GOP.
[24][25][26] Malinda Pego's faction responded with a 31-paged document arguing how the meeting to oust Karamo followed the state party's bylaws, therefore making the results legitimate and legal.
[45] In an October 2021 court record first published by Jezebel, her ex-husband Adom Karamo claimed that she had threatened to kill herself and their daughters in a car crash.
[46] Karamo denied these allegations, saying they were an attempt by her ex-husband to "exploit the fact that [she is] a public figure, using it as leverage to change the custody agreement he became dissatisfied with".
Karamo is also a fan of Korean dramas, yet criticized one plot line centered on communicating with deceased ancestors, saying, "Satan, again, he's so crafty...