James Craig on being disqualified from Michigan governor's race: 'It's not over'

Republican candidates for governor share thoughts after debate on Mackinac

The Mackinac Policy Conference featured a debate among the top four gubernatorial candidates today.

(FOX 2) - James Craig said he believed his campaign for the Michigan governorship was "absolutely" stolen from him after he was disqualified from the ballot following a review of signatures his team submitted earlier this year.

Craig made the comment on FOX News Sunday in response to the state Supreme Court denying appeals from his campaign and those of three other candidates to get back on the ballot.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections ruled in late May that Craig, Perry Johnson, and three other Republican candidates for governor had submitted more than 68,000 fraudulent signatures in their campaign filings to qualify for the primary ballot in August.

The ruling rocked the Michigan political world since it involved two of the higher polling candidates for governor.

During his appearance, Craig said his campaign had "so much momentum" and double-digit leads in polls over other candidates and claimed the bureau's recommendation hurt Michigan voters. The election agency's recommendation was upheld by a deadlocked Michigan Board of State Canvassers May 27. The high court's decision dropped June 3.

"It's not over. I'm not going to let this go because Michigan deserves better," Craig said.

According to a review by the bureau, 11,113 of 21,305 signatures filed by Craig's campaign were invalid. He argued in court appeals that the bureau didn't do enough to determine if the signatures were invalid.

The Michigan Court of Claims ruled 3-0 against him.

The state supreme court ruled 6-1 to uphold the bureau's recommendations.