Jason Bauer

Jason Bauer

Fake Tea Party

Republicans and tea party organizations claim that Jocelyn Benson was linked to a fake tea party group called "The Tea Party", "which was unsuccessful in seeking political party status on the November ballot and which has been labeled a fake." According to an article published in October 2010, the GOP leaders "claim that former Oakland County Democratic Party Chairman Michael McGuinness was Benson's former operations director and that McGuinness and former Oakland Democratic Party employee Jason Bauer both contributed to her campaign. They also say Bauer notarized 12 of 23 of the candidate filings for 'The Tea Party group'".

"McGuinness and Bauer both quit their positions with the county Democratic party after allegations of election fraud in the filings of some of the candidates listed with The Tea Party organization."

Speculation was that the motive was to split the Republican vote.

False affidavit/ Perjury

On March 16, 2011, Michael McGuinness, former Oakland County Democratic Party chairman and Jason Bauer, former political director for the county party were each charged with three counts of uttering and publishing and perjury, while Bauer also faces three counts of a violation of the Michigan Notary Act. This followed a six-month grand jury investigation into allegations of election fraud. In the grand jury warrant, McGuiness and Bauer were accused of fraudulently entering Aaron William Tyler as a Tea Party candidate for District 2 County Commission in July. That alleged act resulted in a charge of uttering and publishing. McGuiness and Bauer are also accused of making a false affidavit or swearing falsely while under oath for the purpose of qualifying Tyler as a candidate for office, resulting in a charge of perjury.