William “Bill” Null, of Shelbyville, who was acquitted in 2023 of FBI charges he conspired to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is campaigning for her job.
Null filed paperwork as a Republican forming the Committee to Elect William Null for Governor in the August 2026 primary.
Eric Molitor, who also was acquitted along with Null’s twin brother, Michael, is listed as the committee’s treasurer. Molitor and the Nulls could have faced up to 20 years in prison. They were charged with contributing material support to a terrorist plan, but were found not guilty in an Antrim County court.
They were accused of taking part in militia training sessions and surveillance trips to Whitmer’s vacation home on Birch Lake in Elk Rapids in 2020 as part of a larger plan to kidnap Whitmer.
The Null brothers and Molitor said they believe they were entrapped by an overzealous FBI investigation.
Fourteen men were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnap plot. Four were convicted of federal charges, five were convicted of crimes under state law and five, including Molitor and the Null brothers, were acquitted.
Afterward, the Null brothers were presented with plaques of appreciation from State Rep. Rachelle Smith of Shelbyville, former Martin Township Clerk.
Null in 2015 launched the Michigan Liberty Militia in 2015, which grew to nearly 20 members, but disbanded after he was arrested in October 2020.
Though acknowledging his ties to militias, William Null told MLive in 2024 “We were always peaceful. And then the 2020 happened and the craziness with coronavirus. You weren’t even allowed to pump gas, you couldn’t get your hair cut, you couldn’t go to gyms, so we started leading protests there, too.”
He also told MLive,“The chances of winning are slim to none, but I’d like to see my name on the ticket anyway.”
Null in 2024 lost in his bid for a seat on the Orangeville Township Boards.
Null joins at least a dozen other candidates running for the seat held by Whitmer, a Democrat, who will be term-limited out of office in 2026.
