By Zachary Gorchow
Executive Editor and Publisher
Posted: January 31, 2017 1:17 PM

The reaction of Michigan’s elected Republican leaders to President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily barring the admission of all refugees as well as immigrants and visitors from seven Muslim-majority nations covers a range, running from support to outright opposition.

Through the middle, there’s a range of responses as well.

How elected Republicans in Michigan react to Mr. Trump’s implementation of his agenda will be under close watch from many quarters:

• From Democrats, most of whom have decided to mount all-out opposition, many calling themselves the resistance, in the face of what they see as Mr. Trump taking the nation toward autocracy;

• From Republican activists, most of whom remain squarely in Mr. Trump’s corner and are thrilled with his actions so far;

• From their potential rivals in the Republican Party, with those questioning Mr. Trump opening themselves up to a primary challenge from someone who declares them insufficiently loyal to their party’s president, as well as those jockeying for higher office like governor or U.S. Senate;

• From potential Democratic rivals in future elections, who would like to tie them to everything they hate about Mr. Trump, although how Mr. Trump will play in the 2018 mid-term elections in Michigan is purely a guessing game right now, though traditionally the president’s party suffers in the mid-term election; and

• From national observers looking for any sign of Mr. Trump’s fellow Republicans breaking ranks.

So with that in mind, let’s look at how Republicans have responded, going from the most critical to the most supportive.

U.S. REP. JUSTIN AMASH: Mr. Amash (R-Cascade Township), the maverick libertarian who often does not see eye-to-eye with his party, already had made clear his concerns about Mr. Trump. And he lambasted Mr. Trump’s executive order in a Tweetstorm and several subsequent tweets. He called it illegal and said if Mr. Trump wants to implement the policies in his executive order, he needs to work with Congress.

In 2014, business groups and others in the establishment wing of the Republican Party tried to oust Mr. Amash in the primary. Now one wonders if Trump supporters might take him on if this keeps up.

U.S. REP. FRED UPTON: The dean of the House Republican Conference called for Mr. Trump to scale back the order, saying it created confusion for travelers and those who enforce the law. Mr. Upton (R-St. Joseph) said Mr. Trump should have worked with Congress.

U.S. REP. MIKE BISHOP: Mr. Bishop (R-Rochester) was clearly upset with how the Trump administration provided no advance notice to Congress the executive order was coming. He made clear on his Twitter account that he was taking his concerns about the scope of the order to Washington and said he was inundated with concerns from constituents in his district. He said the nation needs to find the right balance between security and civil liberties. Overall, he seems most concerned with the process and implementation.

U.S. REP. JACK BERGMAN, U.S. REP. BILL HUIZENGA, U.S. REP. JOHN MOOLENAAR, U.S. REP. PAUL MITCHELL AND U.S. REP. TIM WALBERG: All have said largely the same thing – support for Mr. Trump taking actions to protect the country, rejection of the term “Muslim ban” Democrats have used and emphasizing the temporary nature of the moves (though the prohibition on Syrian refugees is indefinite), but urged the plan not to affect green card holders or those who have assisted the U.S. military. Mr. Bergman’s statement did not specifically refer to green card holders, however.

GOVERNOR RICK SNYDER: Mr. Snyder once proclaimed himself the most pro-immigration governor in the nation and at one time wanted Michigan to become a major landing spot for Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country. But he backed off that position a year ago. In a Tuesday statement, he neither expressed support for the program, nor opposition, nor did he delve into some of the specific concerns raised by the congressional members. “The president’s 120-day reassessment period is leading to a much-needed national dialogue on immigration policy, and I plan to be part of that discussion,” the governor said.

U.S. REP. DAVE TROTT: Mr. Trott (R-Birmingham) issued a supportive statement about the executive order on Friday, saying the first priority is to protect Americans and their families.

ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL SCHUETTE: Mr. Schuette rejected calls from Democrats to join a lawsuit from Democratic state attorneys general against the executive order and defended Mr. Trump’s plan. "The United States must have an immigration policy that provides safety and security for our nation, that is hopeful to all new Americans and which discriminates against no one," he said. "President Trump's Executive Order is not a ban on Muslims, and he is placing the security of Americans first."

Just 12 days into the Trump presidency, it's clear how Democrats and Republicans react to his moves will be a litmus test in many different ways, this just being one of the first big ones.