No Endorsement
Feburary 8, 2023
Feburary 8, 2023
Why is the Cumberland County GOP so eager to endorse candidates before the ink touches the paper?
It has been clear that the leadership of the Cumberland County Republican Committee is in favor of endorsing candidates in the Primary election. Steps have been taken to aggressively fill empty committee positions without the feedback of local groups and associations. Communication has been limited to select channels without the knowledge of all elected Committee People. While newly appointed Committee People will not be allowed to vote in the next meeting per the by-laws, they will for future endorsement meetings. You have to ask yourself, why is the party leadership in such a rush to get these filled?
When PA State Senator Doug Mastriano ran as a candidate for Governor, he did so because he was elected overwhelmingly by the majority of Republican voters in the Primary election. He continued his campaign without the support of the national and state Republican committees. He did not receive funding from these groups as a result of their lack of endorsement and was unable to compete against the Democratic opponent who was unopposed during their primary and was well funded.
I ask you again to read the “After Action Report” from Senator Doug Mastrianio that was published in the Epoch Times. Even if you disagree with some of his statements, read the part about endorsements specifically. Here is the excerpt:
Understanding the History
In primary elections, candidates of the same party run against each other to become their party’s nominee, who will go on to face the other party’s nominee. But in Pennsylvania, there’s a twist. Per the tradition of the Republican Party of PA (PA GOP), the first challenge facing Republican candidates for statewide office is to secure the endorsement of the PA GOP. PA is one of just a few states in which the Republican Party endorses a candidate to be its nominee before the public has cast a single vote.
For the candidate who receives it, this pre-election endorsement results in exclusive access to party resources, the full backing of its members, and a virtual guarantee of winning the primary election and moving on to the general election.
Not only is the PA GOP’s pre-election endorsement unusual, but it’s also extremely problematic. These pre–endorsed candidates go on to lose general elections more than 70 percent of the time. Additionally, the endorsement has been a contentious and divisive practice, which has created two bitterly opposed factions within the PA GOP: the duly elected members (Republican state committee members) and a group of self-appointed party bosses that includes donors, elected officials, and wealthy political consultants, commonly referred to as “Establishment Republicans.”
Elected members of the PA GOP have long lamented that Establishment Republicans undermine them, by manipulating the process to “fix” the endorsement for the candidate of their choosing. Perhaps the most problematic aspect of the endorsement is that, since it’s awarded before the primary, it disenfranchises and demoralizes voters, members, and potential candidates, which stifles our party’s efforts across the board.
Just like ballot harvesting, stopping reporting to count votes in the middle of the night, manipulating voter machines and running out of ballots at election places all erode trust and disenfranchise voters, so does the unusual endorsement process promoted by both the state and county GOP.
Here are the facts:
The Cumberland County Endorsement meeting is scheduled for 10am on Saturday February 11.
According to state election laws, petitions to appear on the ballots cannot be signed until February 14th.
These petitions to appear on the ballot must be submitted no later than March 7.
Ask yourself again, why is the Cumberland County Republican Committee so eager to endorse candidates before the ink touches the paper?
This process further erodes trust in our voters, perpetuates the notion of “self-appointed party bosses” and strengthens the “Establishment Republicans.”
Our Committee People should be endorsing candidates. That is our job. But it is our job to do so during the General election, not the Primary. The Primary elections serve a purpose to allow the voters from the party to select their candidate in the General election.
Committee leaders like to say “When we endorse, WE WIN!”, but in reality, when the Committee votes to endorse before the primary even started, the committee wins, but the people lose.
Committee People need to do what is necessary to ensure the integrity of our candidates and our political process. That integrity begins by not endorsing candidates before the primary.
Sincerely,
Michael Zarcone
Committeeman, Cumberland County, PA - East Pennsboro 7
https://ep7.fightingforfreedom.us/