Republican Committee Action in Neighboring State

Earlier this month the headline in Oklahoma read: “Oklahoma County Republican Party censures U.S. Senator James Lankford.” What does that have to do with Arkansas?

In Oklahoma, the Oklahoma County Republican committee voted to censure Republican U.S. Senator James Lankford for working on Mexico border legislation approved by the left. The censure came after the State of the Union address when Lankford appeared to agree with President Joe Biden on the left’s immigration stance. Fortunately, the left approved legislation Lankford worked on died when former President Donald Trump and Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives spoke out against the legislation.

At the same time that the Oklahoma County Committee was speaking out for conservative values, some people in the apparatus of the Republican Party of Arkansas were trying to silence County Committees in Arkansas. They are still trying.

Some Republican County Committees in Arkansas have been under fire from within the state party apparatus, after some County Committees passed a motion declaring an incumbent primary candidate as “Not Recommended.” The County Committees passed the motion because the incumbent’s left leaning record did not reflect the party’s principles and platform.

Some state party officials lost their minds because County Committees dared pass such motions, despite the motions being specifically authorized by the Rules of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

Now they want to change the rules to prevent a County Committee from using the motion if the RINO is a candidate for a state office or U.S. office or is a candidate for the state legislature. Which is to say, they want County Committees to shut up.

The Republican Party in Arkansas holds all the state executive branch offices, a supermajority of the state legislature, and many county offices. With such a huge Republican majority, people are wondering why the Republican Party isn’t accomplishing more. The answer is because of the attitude within the state apparatus that Republican committees should be cheerleaders for anyone who files with an “R” beside their name, even if the candidate is a Democrat running as Republican so he or she has an opportunity to win.

While some operatives of the state party are trying to make RPA stand for RINO Protection Agency, County Committees in other states, such as Oklahoma, are speaking out for conservative principles in even bolder ways than a County Committee in Arkansas ever has.

The proposed rule change, to shut up County Committees, will be considered in the State Committee instead of waiting for the State Convention to consider the issue. Why? Because the change would be unlikely to pass in the State Convention where grassroots Republicans are better represented.

What kind of Republican Party do you want in Arkansas? One that values its promises to the people or one that values incumbents more than its promises?