Two Candidates DENIED Republican Title / Brand

The Georgia Republican Party (on the state level) has done two things in the past year to maintain the Republican Party’s reputation and brand.

One, was when the State Executive Committee of the GAGOP voted to adopt a resolution (“resolution” = “written motion”) to ban Geoff Duncan from running as a Republican.

The second, was when the State Republican Party Convention voted to adopt a resolution (again, “resolution” = “written motion”) to ban Brad Raffensperger from running as a Republican.

For those of you who don’t know Roberts Rules of Order, a motion is a proposal within an organization (be it a board of directors, a convention, the state committee, or any other governing body or committee) to take some sort of action and it requires the organization to enact any commands within it.

Geoff Duncan, is running for Governor as a Democrat. He decided NOT to try to lie to voters and claim he’s a Republican, possibly due to the party making clear that he was not welcome.

Brad Raffensperger, on the other hand, has decided to run for Governor and lie to voters claiming he’s a Republican. While qualifying has not happened yet, some within the State GOP are making statements that mislead people about the role and power of the GAGOP. Simply because the GAGOP has failed for years, due to wanting to work for politicians that are leading us closer to Democrat victories, to exercise its ability to ensure Republican politicians are accountable to you, that does not mean that the Republican Party does not have the power to do so.

There is extensive Supreme Court and federal caselaw that holds that the Republican Party cannot be controlled by state laws, including being forced to qualify people it does not want to associate with for office. The First Amendment guarantees a right to freedom of association. The law is clearly on our side.

There are lawyers that have been helping the Catoosa GOP, pro bono, in getting favorable court rulings that affirm that right. The idea that the party needs millions of dollars to exercise a basic constitutional right is not only false, but also belies the inability of those pushing it to actually reach out to attorneys that are willing to help save the country without charging the party millions of dollars.

If we want to win elections not just next year, but for years into the future, the Republican Party must have a good, consistent brand that enacts great policies into law. Not one that’s sold to the highest bidder and seen as bad, but only better than the alternative.

What type of GOP do you want to see? Cheerleaders for the highest bidders? Or a principled organization that encourages accountability?