Stop the Infighting. Start Winning.

In the very first episode of Grassroots Strong, Chris Long sits down with Kent County GOP Chair and Finance Chair Rusty Richter—and special guest Lance Griffin of 10X Votes—to say the quiet part out loud: the grassroots vs. “establishment” civil war is bleeding the party dry, and Democrats are the only ones benefiting.

They break down what “grassroots” really means (volunteers, door knockers, lit-droppers, the heart and soul) versus what “establishment” really is (fundraising, infrastructure, data, and targeted strategy)—and why Michigan needs both if we’re serious about winning in 2026.

You’ll hear an unfiltered conversation about purist politics, the “I won’t help unless my candidate wins” mentality, why the day after the primary matters more than the primary itself, and why pushing the entire Republican slate is the only strategy that scales.

Then the episode pivots into a game-changing tactical tool: 10X Votes, a year-round get-out-the-vote program built to activate Michigan’s 1.7 million low-propensity Republican voters by leveraging the most powerful force in politics—personal relationships.

Bottom line: stop fighting each other, build a real farm team, and go win Michigan.