GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Republican Ryan Kelley's arrest this week on misdemeanor charges tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol could help his campaign for governor in the upcoming GOP primary, according to Michigan political observers from both sides of the aisle.
Kelley, a 40-year-old real estate broker from Allendale, was arrested at his home Thursday morning. Prosecutors filed four charges against him, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and willfully injuring or committing depredation against property of the U.S.
In reaction, high-profile Michigan Republicans, including state GOP Chairman Ron Weiser, criticized law enforcement's handling of Kelley's case, and dozens of his supporters gathered outside a federal court building in Grand Rapids for his initial court appearance.
