We have all heard that so-and-so just wants to “burn it all down”. This would lead one to believe that some individual or group would prefer to destroy a thing if they feel it is not going their way. It is certainly true that this attitude and activity is a real thing in some cases. I suppose it depends a lot on your viewpoint and meaning taken from the phrase.
Having been accused of this very thing, it is important to consider the viewpoint and meaning of this statement to the party making the claim, as well as those so accused.
In respect to the Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA), it would be clear to any fair-minded person that there is definitely “a fire” about. So, “Who is ‘burning it down’?” would be a reasonable question. Is it those members who wish to institute or repeal those laws and rules that are described in writing in the platform, rules, and in the US Constitution itself? Or is it those primarily seeking continued control and power over the operations of the party?
When rules, which are plainly printed on paper (at an 8th grade reading level) are so twisted and/or ignored on a case-by-case basis, one must do a little homework to ascertain the reason or motives behind this. What? Questioning another’s motives? You’re damn right!
With all things being equal and the written word on paper, there can be reasonable disagreement. But what has taken place over the past few years within the RPA seems to many as definitely NOT an honest disagreement. Having said that, it is true that there are unreasonable positions on all sides (or sidelines) of “the fire.” What should not be in dispute, however, are facts and history.
Exhibit 1:
State Convention (in Litte Rock) — July 2022:
During the Pulaski County Republican Committee’s 2022 County Convention, there was the election of 71 grassroots delegates to the 2022 Republican State Convention. The RPA Credentialing Committee, chaired by Julie Harris, set aside the election of all 71 delegates. (These 71 delegates represented one of the largest delegations of that State Convention.) Harris defended her decision at the State Convention. The 71 delegates were not allowed to present their defense. Harris’ decision was upheld by Convention delegates by an eight-vote margin. The 71 PCRC delegates, forced to await the decision outside the Convention Hall, were then removed by police from the entire hotel property. It is unknown whether their registration fees were refunded. (For a recount of events, see https://ntdca.com/a-terrible-decision-newly-elected-county-delegates-in-arkansas-disqualified-by-established-republicans/ )
Exhibit 2:
Winter State Committee — December 2022:
Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ nominee, Cody Hiland, ran unopposed for the position of State Party Chairman, as Doyle Webb was term limited after 12 years.
Exhibit 3:
Summer State Committee — June 2023:
Filing fees for U.S. Congress were raised from $15,000 to $30,000.
Exhibit 4:
State Committee — August 2023:
As Cody Hiland had stepped down to accept an appointment to the Arkansas Supreme Court, Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ nominee, Joseph Wood, was elected State Party Chairman in a contested race against Sarah Dunklin.
Exhibit 5:
Winter State Committee meeting — December 2023:
Budget report does not include the detail required in the RPA Rules. Objections made; no ruling or revisions were made other than to refer the question to the “Rules Committee”. To date, no resolution has appeared.
Exhibit 6:
State Convention (in Rogers) — June 2024:
Many rules and platform changes were adopted at Convention as “the final authority” within the RPA in accordance with custom and procedure. Many attempts to undermine this process were made before, during, and after the 2024 Convention by many in the State Executive Committee (EC). Ultimately, that inferior body of 14 of a total of 18 EC members present declared the votes taken by the 600+ Convention delegates were “null and void” except the ones the EC wanted to keep, such as election of 2024 Presidential & VP electors. Keep in mind that many of these Rules changes were already embedded in the 2022 Platform. Closed primaries being a poster child for this fact. More info can be found at Conduit’s Lawlessness article link.
Exhibit 7:
Dissolution of a large Republican County Committee — December 2024:
The Saline County Republican Committee (SCRC) was completely disbanded on December 2, 2024 by a select minority in the RPA (the EC). Surely coincidental was the fact that that county committee was instrumental in promoting and achieving the June ’24 State Convention results. Additionally, specific ones from this committee who argued for adherence to the printed rules were stripped of their ability to participate in their party for years as punishment. SCRC was one of the larger and more active committees in the state.
Exhibit 8:
Setting Aside Bi-Annual Election of County Committee Officers — May 2025:
The January 2025 bi-annual election of the Craighead County Republican Committee (CCRC) officers has been declared “null and void” by the RPA’s investigative committee and affirmed by the EC for the stated reason that they prevented “Inactive” members from voting. Several points on this:
First, RPA Rules clearly indicate that inactive members are not allowed to vote. Otherwise, what would be the incentive for attending regular meetings?
Second, if the party cannot legally prevent a duly elected committee member from voting, how can that duly elected committee member be removed from the party (as done and continues to be done)?
Third, at the time of the election, there had been no notice to CCRC or any County Committee chairmen across the state of a new rules change allowing “inactives” to vote (overturning two prior written interpretations that inactives cannot vote).
Fourth, proclaimed “rules officials” (such as Jonelle Fulmer) were present at the CCRC to advise certain candidates of this secret new rule that inactive members may vote in leadership elections while at the exact same time in the other corner of the state, another “state rules committee member” (now serving as State Rules Chairman) was enforcing, as his committee chairman, the opposite position—that inactives “could not vote.” In either of these cases, the election outcomes would not have been affected by inactive voting.
Fifth, the state Rules Committee had its secret ruling that “inactives can vote” affirmed by the State EC the end of March 2025—two months after these elections which are now declared “null and void”—in what now seems to many as an attempt to declare this secret rule retroactive.
Lastly, in the case of the CCRC, in May the duly elected leadership (along with the wife of the newly elected chairman) were “ousted” from office and party/county committee membership by the EC for the reason that they allowed inactives to vote.
Exhibit 9:
Removing a County Committee Member Without a Proper Complaint — May 2025:
Lorri Justice, the active Pulaski County Republican Committee chair until not seeking re-election in 2025, attended the above CCRC election meeting outlined in Exhibit 8, above, at the request of the CCRC chairman –to serve as his Parliamentarian. As stated, there were other members present who were from other counties, such as Jonelle Fulmer. Lorri Justice was included in the complaint made by CCRC members. There was no complaint made against Justice by her own county committee or District Committee. The reason given for her ousting from party membership by the EC was because she advised CCRC that inactive members cannot vote.
Exhibit 10:
State Committee meeting — June 2025:
All four District Chairs, along with the President of the Chairmen’s Association, filed a timely submitted Rules Change to bring back the preferred position that “inactive” members cannot vote. There were other timely submissions by Senator Josh Bryant — closely moving us toward closed primaries. State Rules Chairman Brian Lester announced these “not recommended” by his committee of eleven, as they are against the law and against the US Constitution. He cited no specific code section or Article. Despite being declared illegal by attorney Lester, Chairman Wood ruled these submissions could be considered if 90% of the membership so decided to “set aside the rules” and hear them. (BTW — The practice of not hearing all timely submissions for Rules and Platform changes — is itself a new rule/practice begun by Wood in June 2024 — just ask Doyle Webb — which we did in May 2024.) The not recommended submissions received a 70% vote to be heard. When a Roberts Rules objection was made, a motion to adjourn was quickly declared passed by the Chair with nearly half of the Meeting Agenda/business left undone.
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One may argue that one side of this argument wishes for less adherence to a platform and less participation from its membership. That same position requires that members sit down, shut up, and support the “Party” as they choose to run it. There will be no free speech, no criticism of the leaders or even communication with them, in most cases. It is also clear that “growing the party” is not an important element of their strategy (though recently they are touting otherwise while at the same time kicking folks out of the party — continually with the excuse of “working against the party”). Those being “kicked out” appear to be the informed conservative people who wish to make this state more free and more prosperous for its citizens.
If those who ask questions and are dismissed as troublemakers, or those who point out our internal hypocrisy are demonized and/or ignored by the party leaders and even the elected officials, then many may be asking the point of supporting a party. Much of what we see within the inner workings of the party are exactly those things we oppose in a government. It causes one to wonder whether those in power have determined that the special interests and lobbyists will provide the resources to keep them elected and maintain the status quo — platform and principles be damned!
If speaking the truth and judiciously operating a party is opposed at every turn and over a sustained period of several years, and while the 80+% of lawmakers are generally ineffective in producing a state government that implements the elements of the Republican platform, and if one points this out they are run out of the party, we then must honestly ask — “Who are the ones lighting the matches here?”
