Perry Johnson's request to halt ballot printing denied by federal judge

(FOX 2) - Perry Johnson's last-ditch effort to halt printing of the 2022 Midterm Primary ballots has failed after a federal judge in Michigan ruled against the GOP candidate for governor.

In a review of Johnson's request, Michigan Eastern District Judge Mark Goldsmith said the Republican had ample opportunity to uncover fraud in his own campaign's signature gathering that led to him being kicked off the ballot. 

Johnson also argued Michigan's election laws put too heavy a burden on his campaign to qualify for the Republican primary, an accusation the judge said "mischaracterized" the methodology used by the state when enforcing its election rules. 

Johnson was one of five GOP candidates for Michigan governor that was disqualified from the Republican Primary race after the Michigan Board of Elections found tens of thousands of fraudulent signatures. 

James Craig, believed to be one of the front-runners for the governorship race, was also disqualified. Both him and Johnson discussed the prospect of write-in campaigns, but self-described "quality guru" who had been funding his own campaign said it could cost $22 million.

Craig, speaking on Let It Rip last week, said he would run as a write-in candidate.

Michigan election chaos continues: Candidate for governor arrested for Jan. 6 participation

Johnson's request for an injunction in printing midterm ballots was among the last avenues he could leverage to get back onto the ballot. 

It's not the only recent development in campaign season chaos that has run through Michigan politics. A sixth candidate for governor, Ryan Kelley, was arrested last week and charged with misdemeanors linked to his participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection.