LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Donald Trump ally who faces felony charges of trying to illegally access and tamper with voting machines is seeking the Republican nomination for the highest court in Michigan, an epicenter of efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

In June, attorney Matthew DePerno announced his intent to run for the state Supreme Court, almost one year after he was charged and arraigned.

Delegates will vote on nominees Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Michigan GOP party convention for two state Supreme Court seats in a battleground state where the court has the potential final say in Michigan election matters.

Michigan Supreme Court races are officially nonpartisan — meaning candidates appear on the ballot without party labels — but candidates are nominated at party conventions. Democratic-backed justices currently hold a 4-3 majority. Republican nominees would have to win both seats to take back majority control while Democrats stand to gain a 5-2 favorability.

DePerno rose to prominence for pushing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from then-President Trump. He unsuccessfully ran for Michigan attorney general in 2022 and lost a bid to be the GOP state party chair in 2023.

DePerno was named as a “prime instigator” in the voting machine tampering case. Five vote tabulators were illegally taken from three Michigan counties and brought to a hotel room, according to documents released in 2022 by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office. Investigators found the tabulators were broken into and “tests” were performed on the equipment.

He was charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy. A state judge has ruled it is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to take a machine without a court order or permission directly from the secretary of state’s office.

DePerno’s case has not gone to trial and he has denied wrongdoing. He also faces a separate complaint from the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, threatening his law license, over accused attorney misconduct when he represented a former state lawmaker.

DePerno in a phone interview said both the felony charges and the attorney misconduct allegations are politically motivated.

Michigan is just one of at least three states where prosecutors say people breached election systems while embracing and spreading Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

DePerno is seeking nomination to run for a partial-term seat currently held by Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after a Democratic-backed justice announced she was resigning by the end of 2022 with six years left in her term.

Bolden is seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat she was appointed to in January 2023. She is the first Black woman to sit on the state’s highest bench and would be the first elected if successful in November.

Republican-backed conservative Justice David Viviano announced in March that he would not seek reelection, opening another seat.

The Democratic Party is holding its own convention the same day as the GOP, Aug. 24.

Campaign finance reports showed an astounding gap between candidates seeking Democratic and Republican nominations and a serious lack of fundraising on DePerno’s part.

Bolden, seeking the Democratic party’s backing, has raised more than $1.1 million dollars as of Aug. 8th, while DePerno has only raised $136, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

DePerno has focused on shoring up delegate support, not fundraising and expressed confidence that he can out-fundraise Bolden if nominated for the general election, citing his own name recognition, he said.

“I don’t think the other candidates in my race can raise any money in the general election,” he said.

DePerno’s Republican competitors at the party convention include Detroit attorney Alexandria Taylor and Circuit Court Judge Patrick O’Grady. Both have outraised DePerno so far by thousands of dollars according to campaign filings.

State Court of Appeals Judge Mark Boonstra and state Rep. Andrew Fink are competing for the Republican nomination for Viviano’s seat. Boonstra was endorsed by Trump in May. On the Democratic side, University of Michigan Law School professor Kimberly Ann Thomas is seeking nomination for the opening.

Michigan’s Democratic Party executive committee has endorsed Bolden and Thomas and they face no nominating challengers.

Thomas reported raising over $826,603 as of Aug. 8 in recent campaign filings, hundreds of thousands more than Fink and Boonstra.

State Supreme Court races have taken on new meaning in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, shifting abortion policy to the states. Millions of dollars were spent in hotly contested races in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in 2023. Supreme Court races in Ohio and Montana are expected to be heated because of potential rulings on abortion.

“Michigan is one of only two state Supreme Courts in the country that could flip to a conservative majority this cycle — putting abortion access, unions and workers, and our very democracy at risk,” Lavora Barnes, the Michigan Democratic Party chair, said in a statement.

Republicans in the state have framed the race as a fight to stop government overreach while Democrats say it’s a fight to preserve reproductive rights.

“We continue to respect the laws that are in place in Michigan here,” Republican party executive director Tyson Shepard said. “We’re tired from the fearmongering from the left.”

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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

Michigan lost a program-record 13 players to the NFL draft this year, but the cupboards are far from bare in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines have several key contributors returning as they begin their national title defense – contributors who are considered top talent in all of college football. ESPN released its rankings of the top 100 players for the 2024 season, and five Wolverines cracked the list: junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (No. 75), senior running back Donovan Edwards (No. 72), junior tight end Colston Loveland (No. 26), junior cornerback Will Johnson (No. 4) and junior defensive tackle Mason Graham (No. 2).

Michigan’s five players was second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, although the Buckeyes didn’t have anyone in the top 10. No other Big Ten players made the top 10, which was headlined by Tennessee defensive end James Pierce Jr. at No. 1. The rankings were determined by a panel of ESPN experts.

Johnson, Graham and Loveland’s rankings are no surprise given their high ceilings after stellar sophomore seasons. All three are widely projected first-round picks in 2025.

Graham’s stat line in 2023 might not have been eye-popping – 35 tackles and three sacks – but he was a gap-plugging fixture in the middle of the defense.

“The 320-pound Graham is back to anchor the inside of a revamped but still talented Michigan defense that lost several players to the NFL draft,” ESPN wrote. “Graham, a second-team All-American last year, had 7.5 tackles for loss on a Michigan defense that led the nation in defensive EPA.”

He and Grant have the potential to be the most imposing defensive tackle duo in the country this season. The 6-foot-3, 339-pounder is No. 3 on Bruce Feldman’s annual “freaks” list for clocking a sub-5.0 in the 40-yard dash, maxing out at 18.75 mph on the GPS and pressing an 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left.

“In his second season at Michigan, Grant quickly became not just one of the defensive stalwarts of a stout defense but one of the most physically imposing players in the country,” ESPN wrote. “Grant tallied 16 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks, including a key one in the national championship game. Going into his third season, the sky seems to be the limit for a player ready to once again showcase his talent and unique physicality.”

Johnson was a five-star recruit out of Grosse Pointe South High and his lived up to the billing.

“A consensus All-Big Ten performer, Johnson had four interceptions last year, including a pick on the first play of the second half in Michigan’s national title victory over Washington,” ESPN wrote. “Opposing QBs had a QBR of just 4.3 (scale of 0-to-100) targeting Johnson last year, easily the lowest score for Big Ten DBs.”

Loveland was a first-team all-Big Ten selection last season and should have an even larger role in 2024. With the team losing its top two receivers in Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson, the former four-star recruit from Idaho could be Michigan’s top target in the passing game this season.

“Now that Brock Bowers is playing in the NFL, Loveland takes his rightful place as the premier tight end in college football, especially with his skills as both a receiver and blocker,” ESPN wrote. “The 6-5, 245-pound junior is incredibly athletic and finished third on Michigan’s national championship team last season with 45 catches, averaging 14.4 yards per catch.

Edwards had a lackluster junior season in a supplementary role behind Blake Corum, but he has home run potential in the open field – both as a receiver and runner.

“After three years of playing behind standout backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, Edwards gets his chance to be Michigan’s lead back,” ESPN wrote. “The timing couldn’t be better as he’s on the cover of the College Football 25 video game. Edwards showcased his speed late in 2022 when he had 520 rushing yards on only 70 carries in Michigan’s final three games.”

Michigan opens the season Aug. 31 against Fresno State. View ESPN’s full top 100 here.

There’s nothing like warm apple pie.

Holiday Calendar sought to determine the most popular pie by each state, and found that Michiganders, like 14 other states, love apple pie the most.

The website analyzed the grocery shopping data of 12 million Americans and surveyed 4,500 people in 15 states to fill in the gaps in their favorite pie flavors.

Michigan apple harvest guide: When to get your favorite kind

The top vote-getter however, was pecan pie, with 15 states loving it the most, including our fair neighbors to the south (Ohio). Pecan pie didn’t even crack our Top 5.

Michigan’s favorite pies