Lawyer for Trump false elector running to be Michigan's attorney general

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Apr 28, 2025

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LANSING, Mich. — Kevin Kijewski, a defense lawyer for one of the 15 Michigan Republicans facing criminal charges for signing a certificate falsely claiming President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, has announced he'll seek the GOP's nomination for attorney general.

“Michigan deserves an attorney general who roots out corruption, prosecutes crime and makes sure every legal vote counts,” Kijewski said in a statement.

Kijewski (pronounced KEY-EV-SKI), 43, of Birmingham, becomes the first Republican candidate to publicly launch a campaign for the state's top law enforcement position in 2026. Republican delegates are expected to select their nominee at a convention early next year. Michigan's current attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel, can't seek re-election because of the state's term limits.

In July 2023, Nessel's office brought criminal charges against the Michigan Republicans whose names appeared on a certificate that falsely described Trump as the winner of Michigan's 16 electoral votes in 2020, despite the fact he lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points, 48%-51%.

The false document was eventually used by Trump supporters in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn Biden's victory in Congress.

"The false electors’ actions undermined the public’s faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan," Nessel said previously.

In court, Kijewski has represented Trump elector Clifford Frost of Warren.

The eight felony charges against Frost and the 14 others are pending in Ingham County District Court 54A, where Judge Kristen Simmons continues to consider whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence for the cases to proceed to trial. In the meantime, Trump won the 2024 presidential election over Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Kijewski said the top issues for his attorney general campaign include stopping "lawfare," ensuring free, fair and honest elections, and prosecuting violent crime and government fraud.

"Michigan deserves an attorney general who does the AG’s job, not a radical misusing of the powers of the office," Kijewski said.

He and his wife, Kathryn, have a law firm in Oakland County named KDK Law.

Kijewski earned his law degree at Michigan State University. He is a former superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit, where he oversaw 3,000 staff in 86 schools with approximately 27,000 students, according to his campaign announcement.

On April 16, Mark Totten, the former U.S. attorney for Michigan's Western District, announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination for attorney general. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit are other potential Democratic candidates.

As for other potential GOP candidates, Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido has been among the names floated.

In 2022, Nessel defeated Republican Matt DePerno to win a second term as Michigan's attorney general. She won that race by about 8 percentage points, 53%-45%.

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