There was a brief period in the GOP race for Michigan governor when real estate broker Ryan Kelley seemed to be the front-runner.

It happened, improbably, after Kelley was arrested and charged with misdemeanors stemming from his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and after five candidates including the two previous front-runners were denied a spot on the ballot because they submitted fake petition signatures.

Kelleys surge was short-lived, and mostly a reflection of the fields chaotic reshuffling following the signature snafu.

On Tuesday night, conservative commentator and business owner Tudor Dixon came away with the GOP nod to face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November. Donald Trump s endorsement last week gave Dixon a push over the finish line in a race where none of the candidates had run away with the nomination.

In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, Kelley wrote he would not concede the race to Dixon despite finishing in fourth place, and he questioned whether the election results reported by the state were correct.

Kelley was just one of the Republicans running this cycle with ties to the Capitol riot. He maintained that he didnt enter the Capitol that day, but investigators placed him directing rioters into the building. Kelley admitted his participation in the preceding Stop the Steal rally and claimed his arrest helped boost his name recognition among GOP voters.

Pennsylvanias Doug Mastriano is another such Republican. Unlike Kelley, the GOP nominee for governor in the Keystone State hasnt been accused of breaking the law. But the state senator was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 select committee in March, and Mastrianos attorney handed over documents about his efforts to organize a pro-Trump bus to D.C.