Matthew Maddock (born December 1965) is an American politician in the Republican Party serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. His district, the 44th, represents areas covering Highland Township, Milford Township, Springfield Township, White Lake Township, and part of Waterford Township.[1] In his first term, Maddock was appointed to be the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, as well as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. A Republican, Maddock was first elected in 2018. Prior to being elected to the 110-member Michigan House of Representatives, he was a businessman in Oakland County.[2][3]
Matt Maddock | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 44th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Runestad |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Meshawn |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | Campaign website |
Career
On November 6, 2018, Maddock was elected to his first term.
In 2021, Maddock proposed legislation to require fact-checkers to register with the state of Michigan and fine them if they engaged in fact-checking without registration.[4]
COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, Maddock promoted misinformation about the virus.[5] In October 2020, Maddock falsely claimed on Facebook that COVID-19 was less lethal than the flu.[5] Matt Maddock routinely did not wear a face mask at the Capitol building; his wife, Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, made inaccurate claims on social media that the use of face coverings was "ineffective" and "harmful" and suggested that employers be sued over the matter.[6]
In November 2020, Maddock introduced a resolution to impeach Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer over her COVID-19 orders; the resolution, introduced during a lame-duck session, did not gain the support of the Republican legislative leadership, headed by House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey.[7][8][9][9][10][11]
In April 2021, Matt Maddock was one of a handful of Republican state representatives to appear at a protest opposing COVID-19 vaccine passports.[12]
Efforts to overturn 2020 presidential election results
Maddock had promoted the false claim that the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden was defeated by Donald Trump, was marred by election fraud. In November 2020, Maddock and other Trump supporters protested at the TCF Center at Detroit to disrupt the counting of votes.[13] Maddock falsely claimed that 35,000 ballots "showed up out of nowhere" and that Democrats "were pretty much cheating in front of poll watchers."[13]
On December 2020, Maddock and Daire Rendon joined a federal lawsuit filed by Trump supporters to overturn the election results. The suit asked for state lawmakers to certify the election results, therefore letting the Republican-led Michigan Legislature to overturn Biden's victory in the state. The judge dismissed the suit, writing that their arguments were "flat-out wrong" and "a fundamental and obvious misreading of the Constitution."[13]
In January 2021, ahead of the counting of the electoral votes and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Maddock and 11 other Michigan Republican state legislators wrote a letter to Vice Presdient Mike Pence, urging him to refuse to count electoral votes from states won by Biden and to keep Trump in power. Responding to such calls, Pence replied in a letter to Congress, "It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."[14]
Both Maddock and his wife, Meshawn Maddock, a member of the national advisory board of Women for Trump, were present at the January 5, 2021 rallies. A video and photo of the couple speaking at that rally is no longer available on her Instagram account. Meshawn claimed she had organized 19 buses of people to attend the event.[15] Meshawn also texted, "As a leader for Republicans in Michigan, I’m going to stand shoulder to shoulder with Americans that know voter fraud is real. Voters no longer trust the system and we want people prosecuted. Now is not the time for summer soldiers and sunshine Patriots, now is the time for brave men to do the right thing. We never stop fighting."[16]
When Matt and Meshawn walked to Trump rally at The Ellipse on Wednesday, January 6, they said they couldn't get in and went back to their hotel. After the violent attack on the Capitol, Meshawn Maddock said that the rally was intended to be a "peaceful event"; that the people who "became a mob and broke the law should be held accountabl"; and that she was "horrified by the death of the young woman and pray for the healing of our nation."[17][18][19]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Maddock | 35,416 | 59.5 | N/A | |
| Democratic | Denise Forrest | 24,067 | 40.5 | N/A | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Maddock | 26,184 | 57.5 | N/A | |
| Democratic | Laura Dodd | 19,330 | 42.5 | N/A | |
References
- ^ "Michigan Committee Statement of Organization". Michigan Secretary of State. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ "10 take-aways from the 2018 Michigan primary election".
- ^ "MI-Winners". November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Michigan GOP lawmaker floats bill to register, fine 'fact checkers'". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Neavling, Steve (April 28, 2021). "Michigan GOP Co-Chair Maddock spreads more lies about COVID-19". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
Rep. Matt Maddock, falsely claimed on Facebook in October that "COVID is less lethal than the flu."
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Dave Boucher, Michigan GOP leader shares misinformation on masks that suggests suing employers, Detroit Free Press (April 27, 2021).
- ^ "HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 324". Michigan Legislature. Michigan Legislative Service Bureau. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ McFall, Caitlin (November 18, 2020). "Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faces possible impeachment proceedings for 'corrupt conduct'". FOX News Channel (FNC). Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Mauger, Craig (November 18, 2020). "Whitmer impeachment resolution introduced, but key Republicans oppose". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ Dodge, Samuel (September 18, 2020). "Michigan House Speaker calls effort to impeach Whitmer as 'shameful' as Trump impeachment". mlive.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ Bridge Staff (November 19, 2020). "Whitmer impeachment resolution dead upon arrival in Michigan Legislature". Bridge Michigan. Center for Michigan. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ ‘Backdoor to a mandate’: Protesters, Republican lawmakers oppose COVID-19 vaccine passports, MLive (April 29, 2021).
- ^ a b c Neavling, Steve (May 12, 2021). "Rep. Maddock, who peddled lies about election fraud and COVID-19, wants to fine fact-checkers". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Allison Donahue, Michigan Advance/States Newsroom, News Partner (January 8, 2021). "Before Riot, 11 Mich. Republican Lawmakers Asked VP To Delay Certifying The Election". patch.com.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press (January 12, 2021). "Rep. Matt Maddock, wife join conservative Facebook group discussing possibility of civil war". freep.com.
- ^ Paul Egan, Clara Hendrickson (January 8, 2021). "Activist who organized buses to DC about to take Mich. GOP role". Detroit Free Press. freep.com.
- ^ Jason Puckett (January 8, 2021). "VERIFY: Debunking false photos and claims of Antifa at Capitol riot". 9news.com.
- ^ Mark Cavitt (January 14, 2021). "Michigan House Democrats seek to censure and investigate GOP Rep. Matt Maddock". theoaklandpress.com.
- ^ Gustaf Kilander (January 7, 2021). "Six Republican lawmakers among rioters as police release photos of wanted". Independent. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Election Results - General Election - November 3, 2020". Detroit News. November 3, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Election Results - General Election - November 6, 2018". Oakland County Michigan Elections Department. February 29, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2019.