Jackson Karki, chairman of the Marquette County Republican Party, stepped down from his position over the weekend after a series of social media posts criticizing low Republican enthusiasm ahead of the November election drew national attention.
The 19-year-old resigned before county party leaders could convene a meeting about how to respond to his posts, according to Jennifer Jermalowicz, the county party's new interim chairwoman.
Karki's posts appeared on the Red Lion Politics X account, which has more than 30,000 followers. In a Sept. 17 post, the account wrote: "The vibes on the ground are the worst I've seen in my life. No one wants to promote candidates, no one wants to knock doors, no one wants to do s---."
The account added in another post: "And as someone that has knocked doors, the energy of the people answering the doors is terrible as well."
Journalist Jake Lahut highlighted the posts in a Sept. 18 report and connected them to Karki. Jermalowicz said Marquette County Republicans did not know Karki was operating the X account before the posts began spreading online. Other party leaders eventually confirmed it was his account.
"We were not aware that he was making inflammatory comments about fellow Republicans, including President (Donald) Trump, under a pseudonym," Jermalowicz said.
The Red Lion Politics account, which described Trump on Sept. 17 as one of Karki's inspirations to get into politics, also wrote: "Having to watch someone you looked up to descend into something unrecognizable is very hard to accept."
In a statement to The Detroit News, Karki said he has been involved in the Marquette County Republican Party since 2020, and that his grandfather, a Vietnam War veteran with a Purple Heart, brought him to his first meeting.
"The Republican Party is meant to be the party of debate, open discussion and integrity," Karki wrote. "As of late, the party has become very tight-knit and, in some ways, the opposite of those things. I hope those inside the party start to realize what's going on instead of being ignorant, because ignorance is the root of losing."
Marquette County is a key political battleground in Michigan. It is the most populated county in the Upper Peninsula and is included in the 109th Michigan House District. Democrats had long held that state House seat, but Rep. Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton, won it in 2024 as Republicans flipped control of the 110-member state House.
State Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, confirmed Karki's resignation in an interview and described him as a hardworking activist. McBroom said he disagreed with Karki's conclusion that GOP enthusiasm was the worst it has ever been.
Karki's social media posts were "not a good look," McBroom said.