Midnight Robocalls in Michigan

By Julie Sobel  //  July 30, 2012 | 1:30 p.m.

Here's a wake-up call if you haven't been paying attention to this race: the Michigan GOP Senate primary is getting nasty.

The latest twist: A robocall, encouraging voters to support Clark Durant, that went out just before midnight on Friday. Both Durant's campaign and the super PAC supporting him say they had nothing to do with the late-night calls:

The Grand Rapids Press:

"Please be assured my campaign did not authorize that call," Durant said in a Facebook post. "This is obviously a dirty trick played by some entity trying to suppress my support by irritating voters."

Saul Anuzis, who formed the Prosperity for Michigan Super PAC that is behind Durant, said the calls didn't come from the group and that they were likely carried out by a rival.

...

Anuzis said the call had a disclaimer tying it to his PAC, but said "anyone can say anything" on those calls.

"We have no idea who did these," Anuzis said. "Nobody in their right mind would authorize or want calls done at midnight."

Former Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra's campaign maintains that they had no involvement with the calls. Over the past week, Durant has run ads attacking Hoekstra, as has the pro-Durant super PAC. Meanwhile, Hoekstra's campaign has questioned the connection between Durant's campaign and the PAC. The primary is just over a week away, on August 8.

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Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief
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