The never-ending saga of opposition from former local GOP officials, a few disgruntled elected leaders, and the Times Free Press editorial page is anything but surprising. They have lost their grip on power that has justly in convention procedure been claimed by conservative grassroots activists.
Week after week, we are all treated to a parade of breathless complaints from the aforementioned attempting to paint a picture of a local Republican crisis where none exists. What these objectors are really mourning is the fact that local elected incumbents and Wamp’s spokesperson are no longer in control. They are having an emotionally difficult time of adjusting to the reality that grassroots conservatives are now in the driver’s seat.
Take Clint Cooper’s Sunday most recent complaining on this subject in editorial in the Times Free Press, which attempts to convince us that the current GOP slate of party officials do not represent the will of the 40,000 Republicans in Hamilton County who voted for Mayor Wamp.” Cooper cites this as a crisis, writing, “40,709 Republicans cast a vote for mayor in the most recent Hamilton County Republican primary in 2022. In effect, then, fewer than 1% (.52%) of Hamilton County Republicans elected the slate that now speaks for the county party.”
That is a desperate argument against the newly elected party officials, if I’ve ever seen one. Party leadership has always been chosen by convention delegates - a small group, yes, but that’s how the process works.
The only difference now? Those delegates aren’t packed with elected officials and a paid Wamp staffer. That old house of cards came crashing down - and it was about time and grossly past due.
Let’s get one thing straight former party officials, long-term elected incumbents: Activate Hamilton reflects the choice of the 97,195 Hamilton County registered voters that overwhelmingly selected Donald Trump’s agenda in November 2024. Funny how the Times Free Press forgot to mention that number. Nearly 100,000 registered voters in Hamilton County said yes to the America First agenda, and Activate Hamilton is far better equipped to carry that torch than a club of elected incumbents, their media mouthpieces, and whining former party officials.
So yes - it’s time to celebrate. In November 2024, 97,195 voters in Hamilton County backed Trump’s agenda. Trump’s vision won, and so did the conservative platform that came with it.
The real panic from the old guard of incumbents that were removed from party leadership - their lost power. They have lost party leadership control, and they can’t stand it. The days of a cozy little clique running the local GOP from behind the curtain are over. Activate Hamilton and the new delegates did not hijack as alleged - they simply participated in a convention process, organized, and won. That’s how grassroots politics works, they organize.
For the record, I don’t know anyone from Activate Hamilton - but I love them already. My advice? Stick to real Republican values. Don’t be bullied by editorials or elected incumbents like Todd Gardenhire.
The truth is, the local GOP party has long feared genuine conservative grassroots. I have seen this play out before. The former party leaders simply preferred an organization where incumbents got rubber-stamped and dissent was ignored. When Michelle Reneau dared to challenge longtime incumbent Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, the local GOP ignored, until grassroots momentum won. Suddenly, the old guard panicked, and has been complaining nonstop, looking to create a local party crisis, along with their side kick, the Times Free Press.
I have been around long enough to see the local party assist elected incumbents in primaries in a manner that is always disregarded. If y’all need a list of these instances, let me know. The fact that elected incumbents were also former party officials is more than problematic. Elected parties should never be party officials, period. For decades, the local GOP leadership has been stacked with elected officials protecting incumbency. It became a dead-end for any local citizen hoping to challenge the status quo.
As the quote goes something like this, first they ignore you, then they mock you, then you win. That is certainly applicable to Activate Hamilton.
The Times Free Press and a couple of elected incumbents argue that the local GOP party should not voice concerns about proposed legislation, even if the legislation is contrary to a conservative platform.
Just look at the local party’s track record: When the insanely high property tax hike was proposed, did the local GOP rise up in opposition? Nope. Crickets. The official party line was to back Mayor Coppinger - even on his outrageously high property tax increase. It was grassroots citizens who organized, rallied, and stopped that tax hike in its tracks. The grassroots effort to stop the property tax increase has resulted in many 10’s of millions ove remaining in the hands of working-class Hamilton County residents and businesses, instead of county government to waste or hand off to Chamber of Commerce welfare fund of $1.2 million annually. The local party was zero help to something as fundamental as opposing huge tax increases.
That ain’t Republican.
Let’s not pretend the new party officers have some solemn duty to bow to every incumbent’s agenda. That’s not conservatism - that’s cowardice. The party exists to promote the conservative agenda, not protect political careers.
To the likes of Todd Gardenhire and the rest of the elected incumbents, former party officials, and Times Free Press - get over yourselves and let us buy you a box of Kleenex.
The new GOP leadership is a breath of fresh air, welcome y’all.
April Eidson