Raleigh – Three Republican officials who have “won 20 different elections as Republicans,” including a former state representative, have left the Republican party citing “a state GOP leadership structure which doesn’t always value” attributes such as “truth and integrity” one day after the state Republican Party squashed any dissent within the party by offering GOP primary voters “only one choice: Trump.”

The three officials specifically state that “GOP leadership” both national and within the state have strayed from core principles and that the officials want their grandchildren to know they “opposed this and was not complicit through silence.”

“Our announcement described what the three of us strongly believe. Leaders should honor and defend fundamental American institutions, leaders should value truth and integrity, and leaders should strive to represent all citizens. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that GOP leadership has strayed from those principles.

[…]

“I also respectfully disagree with the paths that GOP leadership and their enablers have taken, and I don’t wish my name to be connected with it. One day my future grandchildren will read of these times in their history books, and I want them to know their grandfather opposed this and was not complicit through silence. That’s extremely important to me.”

One day before, the North Carolina Republican Party officially stamped out any dissent within the party by submitting “only the name of President Donald Trump, choosing to leave out two other former elected officials seeking the GOP nomination.” One challenger blasted the NCGOP, saying, the “Trump-controlled state party is attempting to deny Republicans the choices they deserve in the primary” and that “Donald Trump and his operatives are going to extraordinary lengths to eliminate competition and avoid actually facing voters.”

Democrats, meanwhile, submitted “all the major candidates who hadn’t dropped out by this week.”

Transylvania Times: Three County Commissioners Leave GOP
By Derek McKissock
December 5, 2019

Key Points:

• Transylvania County Commissioners David Guice, Mike Hawkins and Page Lemel have left the Republican Party.

• In an announcement, (see statement below) the three said they were changing their political affiliation from Republican to Unaffiliated.

• “This is not an action we do happily, and it is not a choice we take lightly,” the announcement said. “It comes after much prayer, reflection and discussion among us and with our loved ones. In leaving, we are ending a long association that is deeply personal. Between us, we have won 20 different elections as Republicans in Transylvania County.”

• The announcement noted three “broad areas” for their decision to leave the party: “First, we have clear notions of conservatism. To be conservative is to honor and preserve the fundamental institutions, processes, structures and rule of law, which have enabled the United States to be history’s greatest success story. To be conservative is to be financially prudent while also investing in common ground works that support individual success for all citizens. To be conservative is to be welcoming and inclusive, understanding that all of us share the same human aspirations; conservative tenets of self-determination cannot be exclusive. To be conservative is to have a strong moral compass and the willingness to challenge wrong regardless of its source. We believe all of these are not merely conservative principles but American principles.

• “Next, we believe elected officials have a special duty to conduct themselves beyond reproach and make genuine efforts to represent all their constituents. Elected officials must strive to conduct all public and private actions with honor and integrity. Elected officials must value objective truth and, in turn, be truthful in their own statements and interactions. And elected officials must continually work to hear the voices of all while making hard decisions on behalf of their fellow citizens.

• “Finally, and importantly, we believe local government should not be partisan in nature. Good ideas come from across the spectrum of political thought. Our focus is local, our objective is problem-solving for Transylvania County and our experience is that partisanship is an obstacle to effective local governance. Governing is done best when done closest, and close governing is done best when removed from partisan encumbrances.”

• “Our announcement described what the three of us strongly believe. Leaders should honor and defend fundamental American institutions, leaders should value truth and integrity, and leaders should strive to represent all citizens. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that GOP leadership has strayed from those principles.

• “I also respectfully disagree with the paths that GOP leadership and their enablers have taken, and I don’t wish my name to be connected with it. One day my future grandchildren will read of these times in their history books, and I want them to know their grandfather opposed this and was not complicit through silence. That’s extremely important to me.”

Read the full article online here.

News & Observer: NC GOP wants its primary voters to have only one choice: Trump
By Colin Campbell
December 04, 2019

Key Points:

• The Republican and Green parties will have only a single candidate on their ballots, while Libertarian Party primary voters will have even more presidential candidates to choose from on North Carolina ballots than Democratic voters.

• The N.C. Republican Party submitted only the name of President Donald Trump, choosing to leave out two other former elected officials seeking the GOP nomination: former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh.

• The Weld campaign has written to the board asking to be added to the ballot, arguing that his candidacy meets the legal test because he’s received “widespread news coverage,” raised more than $1.2 million, and has qualified for the primary ballot in six other states.

• “While we are disappointed, we are certainly not surprised that another Trump-controlled state party is attempting to deny Republicans the choices they deserve in the primary,” Weld spokesman Joe Hunter said in an email.

• “For a president who claims to be beloved, Donald Trump and his operatives are going to extraordinary lengths to eliminate competition and avoid actually facing voters. The State Board (of Elections) is not bound by the party’s submission, and we are confident the members of the board will recognize the obvious qualifications of a successful two-term Republican governor who is well-recognized across the nation.”

• The N.C. Democratic Party submitted 15 names: Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, John K. Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Deval Patrick, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang. That list includes all the major candidates who hadn’t dropped out by this week.

Read the full article online here.