HOLLAND, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo native Jamie Swafford has been selected by Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ryan Kelley as his lieutenant governor candidate.
He introduced her at a candidate forum in Holland Tuesday night. Kelley is the first of the five Republican candidates to name a running mate.
Swafford was a former candidate for the Michigan Republican Party’s Ethnic Vice Chair position. She has worked as a sheriff deputy for Kalamazoo County and is now a City of Portage police records clerk. Her husband Thomas Swafford ran for Kalamazoo County Sheriff in 2020.
Swafford is described as an activist who reportedly was with Kelley at the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol. Kelley is facing criminal charges for his actions there.
The Republican primary for governor is August 2, 2022.
