A political storm is swirling in Catoosa County after the local GOP refused on multiple occasions to allow four candidates on the primary ballot in the May election. Three of those are county commission incumbents.
Superior Court Judge Don Thompson ruled last week that all four qualify to be on the ballot and ordered the GOP chapter to put them on the ballot by Friday at noon, which is the county’s election qualifying deadline. The compliance hearing was held Friday morning where the judge expected the GOP to reverse its decision.
Candidates seeking to be on the ballot are Vanita Hullander, Jeff Long, Steven Henry, and Larry Black.
Thompson previously ordered Catoosa County deputies to escort the candidates to re-submit their paperwork after he made his initial order on Tuesday. He mandated that all body cam footage from the officers be submitted to the court.
The judge said he will fine each member of the Catoosa GOP chapter $1,000 for each hour the names remain off the ballot.
Yet, the GOP refused again when the candidates went the office for a third time.
The Catoosa County GOP filed motions to dismiss the case and the judge’s order on Wednesday and believes those should be heard before obeying the order. Georgia Republican Assembly President Nathaniel Darnell said the judge’s order and the case would be appealed.
He believes the issue is making sure that candidates on the ballot are voting in a way that’s consistent with the GOP platform. The local GOP chapter hasn’t stated why it feels these candidates aren’t qualified to be on the ballot.
The root cause of the contention is a proposed policy called the Accountability Rule within the Georgia Republican Party. The rule was promoted and passed by a sect of the party named the Georgia Republican Assembly (GRA). The GRA is a wing of the party dedicated to the MAGA and American First agenda.
The rule is being promoted as a way of ensuring that Democrats aren’t running as Republicans solely to win races when they don’t believe in the platform. The concern, looking at Catoosa County, is that the rule would be used as political weaponization for some to retain power over local elections.
Part of the Accountability Rule states “Nothing in these rules shall prevent a county GOP from refusing to qualify someone for county office.” The rule states that state convention delegates can determine who runs as a Republican on a state level.
“Any such motion that passes by a majority vote of those present and voting shall prohibit the GAGOP or any of its subsidiaries from, through action or inaction, qualify that person from office, doing anything to help that person qualify for office or to seek or achieve political office unless a majority of delegates at a future state convention votes to allow that person to qualify for office again.”
Those promoting the rule state that Democrats have such a run and banned an incumbent Chattooga County commissioner from running as a Democrat in 2014 when he helped a Republican run for re-election.
Alex Johnson, a leader in the GRA, promotes the rule as a way to strengthen the GOP. According to a recent email he distributed, his aim is to influence the state party with a flood of GRA-endorsed or anti-establishment candidates for delegates and key positions. This strategy was successful at the last convention, with 75 percent of new GOP officers and delegates being non-establishment or GRA-endorsed.
That includes those in nine key positions including Josh McKoon elected as GAGOP chairman, Brian Pritchard, elected as GAGOP first vice chairman, and David Cross, elected GAGOP second vice chairman.
Attempts to reach Johnson on Saturday were unsuccessful.