Sen. Betty Alexander, election conspiracy theorist Mellissa Carone among 15 candidates booted from the ballot

The Michigan Department of State disqualified 15 political candidates, including election conspiracy theorist Mellissa Carone and state Sen. Betty Alexander, from the Aug. 2 primary ballot.

Eleven candidates were accused of making false statements about their compliance with campaign finance requirements. They either had outstanding campaign finance reports or unpaid fines when they signed their affidavit of identity.

An additional four candidates were disqualified for “missing information or information that indicates the candidate is not eligible for the jurisdiction,” the department said Tuesday.

Among those accused of making false statements was Carone, a Republican whose outlandish testimony as Rudy Giuliani’s “star witness” during a legislative election-fraud hearing inspired a Saturday Night Live skit. Carone was challenging state Sen. Mike McDonald, R-Macomb Township, in the 11th District.

Carone falsely attested on an affidavit that she had no outstanding campaign finance issues.

Also removed from the ballot for allegedly making false statements was Alexander, a Democrat running for a second term in her Senate seat in Detroit.

Former state Rep. Alberta Tlabi, D-Detroit, was also disqualified for the same reason. She was running for a state Senate seat in the 3rd district.

Jon Rocha, a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump for the 78th state House seat, was kicked off the ballot for making false statements.

The other candidates disqualified over false statements were Ronald Cole (7th District state House), Kahlilia Davis (36th District Court judge), Eddie Kabacinski (14th District state House), Chris Martin (54B District Court judge), Vernon Molnar (7th District state Senate), Chase Turner (49th District state House), and Lawanda Turner (11th District state House).

The four candidates disqualified for missing information on their affidavits were Faiz Aslam (6th Congressional District), Michael Shallal (57th District state House), Steven Thomas, (31st District state Senate), and Howard Weathington (3rd District state Senate).

Numerous other candidates could be disqualified over problems with their petition signatures to get their names on the ballot. They include three Republican gubernatorial candidates — former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, former conservative TV show host Tudor Dixon, and businessman Perry Johnson — who are accused of filing fraudulent signatures. The Board of State Canvassers plans to meet on May 26 to determine whether they should be removed from the ballot.

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