Republican infighting

Charlie Kirk's hometown newspaper issues dire warning to national GOP​


Turning Point USA's founder Charlie Kirk has been accused of orchestrating a "hostile takeover" of the national GOP — and an Arizona columnist pointed out the disaster for his home state's Republican Party when he did the same thing there.

Reports put Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth group, at the center of the ousting of Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, and that it's a move aimed at putting Kirk and his followers in control — a claim that Kirk denies.

"All of this will interest Arizona conservatives, as Turning Point is the organization that took over the Arizona Republican Party and helped move the needle on Arizona politics in the wrong direction," writes the Arizona Republic's Phil Boas.

said Kirk's organization, which is based in Arizona, virtually took over the state's party, fielding right-wing candidates loyal to the MAGA cause.

"In the 2022 election, Arizona voters would have none of it," Boas said.

"They rejected the major GOP candidates who ran MAGA campaigns. Two years earlier, they voted for Democrat Joe Biden over Trump, handing Arizona's 11 electoral votes to Biden."

Despite the fact that Arizona's population is majority Republican, the party has lost nearly all positions of power since Kirk's move, he wrote. Democrats control the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general and Arizona’s two U.S. Senate seats — though one of those representatives later became an independent.

NBC reported that McDaniel was ousted because Kirk wanted control of the RNC’s dollars and donor lists.

“This is why he was trying to get rid of Ronna,” a Trump ally told NBC News. “He shouldn’t make it sound like, ‘Oh, we’re tired of losing. We don’t have an early vote program.’ He should have just said, ‘Listen, he who controls the RNC controls millions of dollars and I want to get my hands on them.’ I mean, that would have been a more honest grift.”

Turning Point denies the accusations and say they are simply just trying to help Republicans win in 2024.

"Don’t be surprised if Donald Trump is playing a double game, embracing Kirk through some channels while warning through others he needs to watch his mouth," Boas writes. "What could be more Trump-like than that?"
 

Trump rolls out slew of endorsements for GOP challengers to Texas GOP lawmakers that voted to impeach Texas AG Paxton​


Former President Trump rolled out a slew of endorsements Tuesday for those challenging Texas Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) last year.

Trump repeatedly defended Paxton throughout the impeachment process, during which the Texas attorney general was accused of using his office for the benefit of friends and political donors and then later firing his deputies who flagged it. The Texas House voted to impeach Paxton in connection to the allegations in May 2023, but the state Senate voted to acquit him last September.


On Tuesday, Trump endorsed four state House candidates — Liz Case, Mike Olcott, Helen Kerwin and Alan Schoolcraft —who are challenging state representatives who voted to impeach Paxton. He labeled each of the Republican lawmakers as RINOs, meaning “Republican in Name Only.”

He also noted that the four candidates he endorsed were also supported by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and Paxton.

The Texas GOP primary will be held on Super Tuesday, which is March 5.

Trump said Case — the Republican challenging state Rep. Stan Lambert (R) in Texas House District 71 — will “Champion School Choice, Secure our Elections, Lower your Taxes, Defend our Second Amendment, Advocate for Border Security, and Fight Back against the Woke Mob destroying our Country,” according to a post on Truth Social.

He said Olcott, who is challenging state Rep. Glenn Rogers (R) in Texas House District 60, will also be a proponent of school choice and the Second Amendment in his Truth Social endorsement.

The daughter of Kerwin, who is the challenger to state Rep. DeWayne Burns (R) in the 58th District, previously served in the former president’s administration, Trump wrote on Truth Social. He reiterated that Kerwin would also support school choice, work on border security and cut taxes.

“Helen Kerwin is an America First Conservative, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Thank you, President Trump, for your powerful endorsement! Thank you for your trust,” Kerwin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I am inspired by you every day and promise never to let you down! I am ready to #StandWithTexas and #SaveAmerica!”

Trump also endorsed Schoolcraft, who is challenging state Rep. John Kuempel (R) in the 44th District, with a similar message.

“Alan Schoolcraft is running in Texas State House District 44 against RINO John Kuempel, who voted to Impeach Texas’ Great Attorney General, Ken Paxton. In the State Legislature, Alan will Champion School Choice, Fight for Election Integrity, Defend Texas Values, Secure the Border, and Protect our Second Amendment, which is under siege by the Radical Left,” he wrote.


Trump also endorsed a primary challenger to Texas state House Speaker Dade Phelan’s (R) reelection bid last month due to Phelan’s role in the “fraudulent” failed impeachment trial of Paxton.

The Hill has reached out to Lambert, Rogers, Burns and Kuempel for comment on the endorsements.
 
Stillwater Townie said:
Lauren Boebert Met GOP Voters in Her New District. It Got Ugly

“I don’t appreciate, as a Christian, people saying they’re Christian to get your vote and then turning out to be a lowlife, and now I just kind of think of her as a lowlife,” Judy Scofield, a retired university employee, told the Journal.
https://newrepublic.com/post/179126/lauren-boebert-republican-voters-new-district
Click to expand...
Lol. If she's on the ballot again, she'll win with at least 75% of the vote in that area.
 
Mike Johnson Went Way Off Topic in ‘Horrible’ Sermon at GOP Retreat

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivered a “horrible” presentation at a GOP retreat in Miami, Florida this weekend that transformed into an all out “sermon,” sources told POLITICO. Johnson’s talk was meant to focus on the Republican Party’s prospects of keeping its two person House majority in the 2024 elections, but instead he began ranting about moral rot in the United States. According to two sources, the lawmaker cited declining numbers of church goers, as well as a withering national religious identity, in his speech. “I’m not at church,” said one source, who described the presentation as “horrible.” They believed Johnson was trying to unite GOP members. “The sermon was so long he couldn’t bring it back to make the point,” they said. Johnson, a Christian nationalist, has a habit of crossing the line between church and state. He’s so devoted to being devout he even admitted that Joe Biden’s presidency was “God’s will.” Last week, Johnson signaled that he planned to crush the Senate’s $95 billion foreign aid package.
 

GOP Group starts 6 Figure ad Campaign to apply pressures to 10 House Republicans to bypass Mike Johnson refusal to bring Ukraine funding bill up for vote.​

Republican-led group is now launching a six-figure ad buy with a new campaign to apply pressure to 10 House Republicans in an effort to end-run House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).

According to Newsweek, Republicans for Ukraine is pushing for a handful of Republicans to join all Democrats in supporting a "discharge petition" against Speaker Johnson in order to bring the foreign aid bill that recently passed the US Senate to the floor of the House of Representatives. That bill would provide $60 billion in critically needed military aid for Ukraine as it struggles to maintain defense of its cities in the midst of Russia's advance. It would also send military aid to Taiwan as it seeks to stave off a potential invasion from China, and for Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza.


"For generations, the Republican Party prided itself on standing up to dictators and leading the free world. Many Republicans, including many in Congress, still identify with that party and that role for America," Gunner Ramer, a Republicans for Ukraine spokesperson, told Newsweek. "Right now the critical issue in the world is whether free countries will help defeat Putin in Ukraine."


The ad blitz is focusing on media markets in the districts of 10 Republicans who have previously been vocal in their support for Ukraine. Reps. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), Ken Buck (R-Colorado), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Jake Elizey (R-Texas), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin), Mike McCaul (R-Texas), Mike Rogers (R-Alabama), Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Steve Womack (R-Arkansas) have all been targeted, but organizers say they only need four to be successful to get a discharge petition approved.

"Republicans have a chance to make history, but only if they get to vote. That's why they should sign a discharge petition—it only takes four, but there's safety in numbers," Ramer said. "These 10 members have been leaders on Ukraine and American national security in the past, and it's time for them to be leaders again."

The ad will feature the voices of "lifelong Republican voters" who are making their case for GOP lawmakers to quickly get the next funding package to Ukraine.

"If we deal in weakness in the face of aggression it's a clear signal countries like China to invade Taiwan," an Ohio Republican voter said in the ad.
 

Trump supporters turn on one-time MAGA endorsed candidate they now say say aids 'communist values'​


A lengthy report in Texas Monthly reveals that Trump supporters in Texas are ready to oust Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), despite the fact that he was first elected in 2020 as a Trump-backed MAGA candidate.

According to the report, Gonzales has now drawn several rivals in a Republican primary, all of whom are attacking him for assorted heresies related to immigration, gun safety, and LGBTQ rights.

During a debate that was held earlier this month, his opponents attacked him for being "a full-blown Democrat" despite his solidly right-wing voting record.

Retired Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Victor Avila, for one, went so far as to say that Gonzales' purportedly soft stance on immigration was helping to spread "communist values" that immigrants are supposedly bringing into the United States.

"The American dream is dead now [because of immigrants]," said Avila.

Frank Lopez Jr., another opponent running against Gonzales, used language reminiscent of the QAnon conspiracy theory to claim that the migration surge at the southern border was part of a nefarious child sex trafficking operation.

Specifically, he said that young migrants are "trafficked into this country to feed a horrible, demonic, perverted hunger for the bodies of little boys and little girls."

Not to be outdone in terms of apocalyptic rhetoric was former Medina County GOP Chairwoman Julie Clark, who claimed, "we truly believe the 2024 election is going to be the last stand for this country if we don’t get involved, if we don’t elect the right people to represent us and are doing it for the right reasons.”

Gonzales, for his part, says he isn't sweating any challenge from his right flank.

"I don’t take any s--t from anybody," he defiantly told the publication.
 
mugatu said:
Doesn't look like she'll make it to Nov.

Straw poll results
Click to expand...
Boebert comes to the 11-person race with $1.3 million in campaign funds and plenty of name recognition, which could help her stand out from the crowd.

This is how she gets there. In a straw poll, it is informed voters who just heard the candidates. In a voting booth, it is an 11 person list of names and her name will get recongnized.
 
steross said:
Boebert comes to the 11-person race with $1.3 million in campaign funds and plenty of name recognition, which could help her stand out from the crowd.

This is how she gets there. In a straw poll, it is informed voters who just heard the candidates. In a voting booth, it is an 11 person list of names and her name will get recongnized.
Click to expand...
she has alot of public issues going on right now

Lauren Boebert's Son Made Sex Tape With Fellow Suspect​


Son of US Representative Boebert arrested on five felony charges​


Lauren Boebert’s son arrested on 22 felony, misdemeanor charges:​

 
Polds4OSU said:
she has alot of public issues going on right now

Lauren Boebert's Son Made Sex Tape With Fellow Suspect​


Son of US Representative Boebert arrested on five felony charges​


Lauren Boebert’s son arrested on 22 felony, misdemeanor charges:​

Click to expand...
I'm not claiming she will win. But, if she does, that is why. If this were a two-person race and the other candidate was decent, I'd say she is very likely to lose. But when the informed voters spread their votes among the 10 then the other voters think, "Oh, yea, I know that name." That is how she pulls it off.
 

This is getting WILD. GOP is NOT a party in Michigan any longer​

​

Police reports, adultery claims: inside the tumult ripping Michigan Republicans apart​

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan (Reuters) - A threat of dueling party conventions to choose a presidential nominee this weekend. Accusations of adultery, corruption and incompetence. A barrage of social media attacks and a police investigation.

The Michigan Republican Party is in turmoil, raising fears among some Republicans that support for former President Donald Trump's re-election bid could suffer in a battleground state that Democratic President Joe Biden won by 2.8 percentage points in 2020.


The fight to oust Kristina Karamo, elected as Republican party chair in Michigan last year, has become increasingly bitter and personal, leaving deep divisions in the local party, according to three dozen party members who spoke to Reuters.

At the center of that battle is Bree Moeggenberg. The 44-year-old member of the Republican state committee – a governing board for the party in Michigan - helped organize a Jan. 6 vote by some committee members to remove Karamo.

Moeggenberg and others blame Karamo – a fiery grassroots activist who backs Trump's false claims of election fraud - for stifling dissent within the party, a lack of transparency in decision making, and driving away wealthy donors.

The Republican National Committee – which helps to coordinate the party's fundraising and election strategy across America - ruled in February that Karamo's removal was legitimate and recognized Pete Hoekstra, ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's presidency, as the new chair. Trump has thrown his support behind Hoekstra.


Karamo has contested the vote and the rival factions have announced dueling conventions on Saturday to choose a presidential nominee and award delegates to the party's national convention in July.

Karamo retains a loyal following among a contingent of the party's roughly 2,000 precinct delegates and its 107-person state committee, but a court ruling this week affirming her removal as chair has put her convention and future with the party in doubt.

Among Republican activists, the fighting has become personal. Several Karamo supporters and anonymous online trolls have, without evidence, accused Moeggenberg of having an affair with a married man, Andy Sebolt, another state committee member.

Moeggenberg denies the allegations and has accused Karamo and her supporters of character assassination. "Such destructive behavior has been a core cause of division in the party," Moeggenberg told Reuters.

Karamo's signature was on an official email newsletter in January that directed party members to a Telegram messaging chatroom with a series of anonymous posts repeating the adultery allegations, some uploaded days before the crucial party vote.


Karamo did not respond to a request for comment on the adultery allegations and intra-party strife. Sebolt, who filed for divorce last June, did not respond to a request for comment.

A number of the three dozen party members in Michigan who spoke to Reuters expressed concern that the acrimony risked leaving Republican activists disillusioned and less likely to volunteer or vote. Among the disenchanted are many grass-roots donors Karamo courted with promises of breaking the party's reliance on the moneyed elite.

Daniel Harrington, 62, who wrote two $1,776 checks last year in support of Karamo, says he won't be donating to the party or helping it get out the vote in November if she is ousted. As precinct delegate, he was planning to participate in Karamo's convention in Detroit.


"We're upset with Trump, absolutely," said Harrington, who voted for the former president in 2016 and 2020 but was angry at how he abandoned Karamo. "I'd like to send a message wherever the convention is going to be to not elect Trump."

A conservative, Harrington said he would probably still vote for Trump in November, if given the choice of him and Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump won Michigan's primary convincingly on Tuesday, securing 12 of 16 delegates up for grabs. The remaining 39 of Michigan's 55 delegates are due to be allocated on Saturday.


The impact of the turmoil within the party has already hit campaign coffers. Donations into a state-level account came to just under $20,000 from the start of Karamo's tenure to the end of 2023, down sharply from $690,000 during the same period four years earlier, according to a Reuters review of filings.

Contributions to the state party's federal account also suffered, with reported fundraising totaling about $900,000 last year, down from about $1.5 million four years earlier in 2019.

PERSONAL DIVISIONS

The tensions in Michigan are driven as much by personal animus as any ideology. Karamo and her supporters describe "establishment" Republicans - those aligned with business interests and traditional donors - as corrupt, and tend to be very conservative in their policy beliefs.

The members backing Hoekstra are also conservative but told Reuters they are willing to work with wealthy donors. They accuse Karamo of incompetence.

"We're so very fractured," said Kelly Sackett, one of two people from the rival factions claiming to be the party chair in Kalamazoo County, where a battle for control has been playing out in courtrooms and police reports. "I don't see it all coming back together."


A judge in Kent County, Michigan on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction saying that Karamo was properly removed and preventing her from representing herself as chair of the party in Michigan. On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals denied Karamo's request to suspend Tuesday's ruling while it weighs her ongoing appeal.


Despite the rulings, Karamo has yet to call off Saturday's planned convention in Detroit. Hoekstra has convened a meeting the same day in Grand Rapids, confident his delegates will be recognized at the national convention in July.

NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY

Moeggenberg, a single mother of three who runs a day care at her home, is no stranger to controversy. She is chair of the Isabella County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative nonprofit that fought COVID-era mask mandates and teaching about LGBT rights.


When Sebolt's wife Jennifer first messaged her privately on Facebook last June accusing her of sleeping with her husband, a tense exchange ensued.

Jennifer told Reuters she was also upset with her husband for working with Moeggenberg and others to undermine Karamo, who she supports. Jennifer did not provide evidence of an affair.

In July, as Moeggenberg ramped up pressure on Karamo, Charles Ritchard, a backer of the embattled chair, started attacking Moeggenberg and Sebolt with Facebook posts containing sexual innuendo and unsubstantiated claims of corruption.

Ritchard told Reuters he targeted Moeggenberg because she was pressuring others in her district to move against Karamo.

Following an adultery complaint submitted by Sebolt’s wife, the state police opened an investigation that prosecutors in both Oceana and Isabella counties declined to pursue, citing a lack of evidence and jurisdictional issues, according to a letter from the Oceana prosecutor on Oct. 9 and police report dated Oct. 10, reviewed by Reuters.


In November, Jennifer nonetheless went public with adultery allegations against her husband, posting them on Facebook. Other Karamo supporters piled in.

Hoekstra said he was confident the party would come together to back Trump and work towards winning a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in November after the Democratic incumbent announced she would not run. Hoekstra told Reuters he has spoken with several big donors ready to write checks for the party, once leadership has changed. He did not identify the donors.

Penny Swan, a precinct delegate from the city of Hillsdale, is less sanguine about the party's prospects.

"Our party is too involved in this turmoil and the fight within the party to do what we're supposed to be doing: helping candidates and fundraising," said Penny Swan, a precinct delegate from the city of Hillsdale. "I am absolutely worried."
 

House Republican Says He’s Retiring So He Doesn’t Have to ‘Lie on Behalf’ of Trump and the GOP​


Outgoing House Republican Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) added some further insights into his decision to retire and blasted many of his fellow Republicans for being willing to “lie” for Donald Trump.

Buck joined NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt over the weekend on his new Sunday show and was asked by the former Fox News political editor about his decision to retire and what it meant for the current state of the GOP.


“We’ve gone from a time when the Tea Party stood for conservative principles, for constitutional principles, to a time where the [populists] have taken over the Republican Party and are really advocating things that I believe are very dangerous,” Buck told Stirewalt.

Stirewalt pressed for more details on his decision to retire. “The MAGA crowd ran a primary against me last time. I won 75-25. I’m not concerned about [a] primary, I’m not concerned about losing a general election,” Buck replied, adding:

You know, the time is right. I’m at a point in my life where I want to do different things. I want to enjoy my family more, I want to [do] less business travel and more recreational travel. There are a lot of things that went into the decision.
But really we’re at a time in American politics, that I am not going to lie on behalf of my presidential candidate, on behalf of my party. And I’m very sad that others in my party have taken the position that, as long as we get the White House, it doesn’t really matter what we say.
Click to expand...
 
I sort of appreciate these Republicans that are finally speaking their truth about the party and Trump, but....

I'm also extremely frustrated that none of them are doing it until after they no longer have any skin in the game by retiring or announcing that they aren't going to run for re-election.

They only establish their convictions and positions after there is no risk involved in doing so....while I sort of appreciate them saying it, when they choose to say it is a pretty cowardly way of doing it.
 
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