County GOP Chairman Martha Yessick Says She Won't Tolerate Negative In Local GOP vs. GOP Campaigns; Says Trump Won't Be Removed From Office

  • Monday, October 7, 2019
  • Joseph Dycus

As chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, Marsha Yessick has one main responsibility as the leader of her party. “My job is to get Republicans into office in Hamilton County, and then to keep them in office,” said the chairman to the Pachyderm Club during their weekly Monday get-together.

During her presentation to the club, Ms. Yessick addressed what was possibly the dominant story in the country at the moment. She assured the Pachyderm Club that an impeachment of President Donald Trump was almost certainly not going to occur. Her source for this information was Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, who told her this in a recent conversation.

“Aren’t we all kind of sick of hearing about impeachment? So, I knew that I was going to speak here this weekend, so I called Chuck Fleischmann,” said Ms. Yessick,  “He said, ‘Now Marsha, I’ve read everything, and there is nothing that will rise to the level of impeachment, so you just relax, it’s going to be ok. There are people who have wanted to impeach Donald J. Trump since the day he walked out on that carpet and accepted the office of the presidency.”

The chairman also took a moment to criticize the media coverage of the president and his family, saying, “What a shame it is that the media on other (non-Fox News) stations are not taking advantage of this class family that we have in the White House. Ivanka Trump doesn’t get mentioned unless it’s a negative story. We’re missing out on this family by the mainstream media. What a shame.”

Ms. Yessick also voiced her support for the president himself, praising the healthy economy and low unemployment figures the country has enjoyed under President Trump.

“I don’t know personally how you think about our president, but I think he’s done an amazing job. I mean, look at the unemployment numbers. They’re the lowest in 50 years,” said the speaker, before criticizing the opposing party by saying, “I think the Democrats want a recession. I don’t think it’s ever been like that before. We have to fight for our president.”

She asked the Pachyderm Club members to “stand together” in the national re-election campaign, asking Hamilton County Republicans to “get out their checkbooks” and donate to the campaign. She told the club that Donald Trump’s campaign has raised unprecedented numbers for the 2020 re-election campaign. While Ms. Yessick said President Trump has raised more money than any of the Democratic candidates, she could not provide exact numbers as it pertained to the amount of money raised.

However, as chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, Ms. Yessick’s responsibilities lie primarily with local politics. With local elections coming up, her role will be as a moderator of sorts. In 2016, Republican incumbents were challenged by other Republicans. These campaigns were described as a “disaster,” as these efforts turned into what were deemed “negative” campaigns. Rather than focusing on their own positive qualities, candidates attacked their fellow party members in an attempt to gain their peer’s position within the local government. Ms. Yessick told the Pachyderm Club this would not happen again.

“You know what, it is a free country and county, and if you want to run for the county and you qualify, then glory be. This is the USA, and it’s a free country,” said the chairman, “But we will not have negative campaigns. We did that in 2016, and it was a disaster. So people who want to run against an incumbent, then run on your own merits and do a good campaign. I will get involved on that if I see it happening again.”

Instead of negativity, Ms. Yessick preached unity within the party, saying “We have to say united. We’re all friends and we all like each other. So let’s say united, let’s shake hands, and say “good luck to you and I hope everything goes well in your part of the county.” Does fighting get anyone anywhere? The point is, we have to be united, so we can’t be divided.”

Unity within the party was a major point of emphasis for Ms. Yessick, and the lack of it is the reason for Republican incumbents being challenged by other members of their own party. For instance, Republicans on Lookout Mountain may have different interests compared to Pachydermians in East Ridge. So while they may all belong to the same party, different candidates may represent their views.

She also spoke of the Trump headquarters that will open in January of 2020. Inside will be Donald Trump merchandise, and spaces for like-minded Republicans to speak among themselves. Within this space will be promotional items and information about Hamilton County Republican candidates in the local government. Ms. Yessick said promoting local candidates in this space will be crucial in the upcoming local elections.

 

“You know HC is a red county, and voters are going to go for Donald Trump,” she said, “So these candidates ride onto President Trump’s cattails, because he will be elected.”

 

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