When will the NCGOP learn?
This little jewel just popped up on our Twitter feed:
@scott_lasterScott LasterRT@McHenryCampaign: We need your help to reach our Facebook goal. Like our campaign page & help us reach 600 tonight!facebook.com/ReElectMcHenry…
Scott Laster is the “executive director” of The North Carolina Republican Party. That means he runs the day-to-day operations at state party HQ. “McHenry” is Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-10) who has a primary with businessman Ken Fortenberry. For those of you not familiar with Twitter, RT means “re-tweet” — or, in other words “approving of and passing along a message someone else posted.”
So, the highest-ranking paid staffer at state GOP HQ is helping McHenry, the incumbent facing a fellow Republican in a primary, market his campaign. I thought state party rules dictated that paid party staffers had to keep arms-length away from Republican vs. Republican primary fights.
It’s no secret that many state party officials have close personal and political ties to McHenry and his consultant / close friend Dee Stewart. But rules ARE rules. People donate to the state party with the idea of beating Democrats — not so a political machine can pick their favorite Republican.
Tom Fetzer stuck his nose into the 2008 GOP primary for the right to face incumbent Democrat congressman Larry Kissell. The intervention by Raleigh inflamed passions on both sides of that primary fight. When the smoke cleared, the losing side got angry, picked up their marbles, and went home. The GOP base was irreparably divided, and Kissell sneaked back into office in a very Republican year.
In Republican vs. Republican fights, NCGOP needs to sit on their hands and let the local folks work it out.
This is only the tip of the iceberg into what I am encountering in my campaign. Some local and state party officials are making it clear they support McHenry and are doing everything they can to make sure I don’t get a fair shot at defeating the incumbent congressman. This weekend, for example, the vice chair of the Gaston County Republican Party is going door-to-door with McHenry to help in Lincoln County. That same person – Brett Keeter – is paid by the taxpayers as McHenry’s district aide. That is just the latest in a series of games they are playing.